THE  MGEE 
INTERMEDIATE  READER 

PART  ONE- FOURTH  YEAR 


THE  MAGEE 
INTERMEDIATE  READER* 

PART  ONE  -  FOURTH  YEAR 

BY 

ANNA  R  MAGEE 

Veacfor  iViPuWi'c  School  l66,JGw^Srk  <% 
WITH  THE  EDITORIAL  COOPERATION  OF 

JOHN  F.  REIGART,  PH.D. 

(Principal  of  Public  ScRool  l66,Jfew\ock  Gity 

Illustrated  by  StKel 
and  Gujjrem'e  t^U. 


GINN  AND  COMPANY 

BOSTON  '  NEW  YORK  •   CHICAGO    -   LONDON 
ATLANTA  •  DALLAS  -  COLUMBUS  -  SAN  FRANCISCO 


• 

1  OtfPYftlGHT,  'iJiffVBY    ANNA    F.    MAGEE    AND    JOHN    F.    KEIGART 

ENTERED  AT  STATIONERS'  HALL 

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 

922.4 


EDUCATION  DEPT, 


GINN   AND  COMPANY  '  PRO- 
PRIETORS •  BOSTON  •  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

The  Intermediate  Reader,  Part  One,  of  the  Magee  series  is 
planned  for  the  entire  fourth  year  of  school.  While  no  definite 
time  period  need  be  set,  it  may  be  said  that  up  to  this  time  pupils 
should  have  read  two  books  a  year,  thus  covering  the  first  six 
books.  The  authors  have  not  deemed  it  necessary  to  continue 
the  division  by  half  years  into  the  period  when  pupils  are  usually 
provided  with  simple  textbooks  in  geography  and  history.  Much 
of  the  training  in  silent  reading  and  oral  expression  can  now  be 
supplied  by  this  type  of  supplementary  reading.  Classes  that 
have  thoroughly  mastered  the  preceding  books  of  the  series  will 
be  able  to  carry  over  their  method  of  study. 

While,  as  stated,  no  attempt  is  made  to  supply  the  entire  con- 
tent of  the  course  of  study  for  the  fourth  year,  a  certain  econ- 
omy is  rendered  possible.  No  additional  textbooks  in  spelling 
or  English  are  needed.  The  spelling  lists  include  all  the  words 
of  the  well-known  Ayres  list. 

Daily  phonetic  drill  is  continued  as  an  indispensable  factor 
in  increasing  facility  in  reading.  The  word  study  in  this  book 
is  not  intended  to  take  the  place  of  a  dictionary,  but  rather  to 
encourage  its  use  for  pronunciation  and  meaning.  Training  in 
the  use  of  the  dictionary  is  provided  for  by  progressive  practice 
in  the  use  of  diacritical  marks. 

As  in  the  previous  books,  helps  are  supplied  by  means  of 
the  arrangement,  the  questions  on  the  lessons,  the  phonetical 
development,  etc. 

To  make  room  for  additional  reading  matter  the  daily  plan  and 
the  type  lesson  for  this  book  are  printed  in  a  separate  Manual. 

9 


IV 

The  plan  of  keeping  the  Manual  simple  and  brief  has  been  as 
carefully  carried  out  as  though  it  were  printed  in  the  Reader  itself. 

Holmes's  "  Flower  of  Liberty,"  "  Kriss  Kringle,"  by  Thomas 
Bailey  Aldrich,  "The  Pomegranate  Seeds"  and  "The  Three 
Golden  Apples,"  adapted  from  Nathaniel  Hawthorne,  "The  Boy 
and  the  Brook  "  and  the  selection  from  "  Hiawatha,"  by  Long- 
fellow, are  used  by  permission  of,  and  by  special  arrangement 
with,  Houghton  Mifflin  Company. 

"  Block  City"  and  "  My  Treasures,"  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson, 
and  "  The  Drum,"  by  Eugene  Field,  are  used  by  permission  of 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  "  Odds  and  Ends  "  and  "  The  Cat  and 
the  Parrot,"  from  "  Stories  and  Story  Telling,"  by  Angela  M. 
Keyes,  are  used  through  the  courtesy  of  D.  Appleton  and 
Company.  The  John  Lane  Company  have  granted  permission 
to  use  "  A  Frost  Fancy,"  by  Richard  Le  Gallienne.  '  The  Tug 
of  War,"  from  the  Journal  of  American  Folk-Lore,  is  used  by 
permission  of  Mr.  Charles  L.  Edwards  and  the  American  Folk- 
Lore  Society.  "  My  Lord  Bag-o'-Rice,"  from  Lafcadio  Hearn's 
"  Japanese  Fairy  Tales,"  is  used  by  permission  of  the  pub- 
lishers, Boni  &  Liveright,  Inc.  "  Umbrellas,"  from  Melville 
Chater's  "  Bubble  Ballads,"  is  used  through  the  courtesy  of  The 
Century  Company.  "  The  Rhinoceros  Changes  his  Name  to 
Jim "  is  used  by  permission  of  the  Christian  Science  Monitor. 
"  The  Baker  Boys  of  Andernach  "  and  "  The  Crab  and  the  Fox," 
from  Minna  B.  Noyes's  "  Twilight  Stories,"  are  used  by  per- 
mission of  Parker  P.  Simmons  Company,  Inc.  :'  The  Ball,"  by 
William  Allingham,  is  used  through  the  courtesy  of  Frederick 
Warne  &  Co.,  Ltd.  "  Just  Doing  his  Duty"  is  used  by  permission 
of  the  American  Red  Cross. 

"  The  Whole  Duty  of  Kittens,"  from  "  The  Kitten's  Garden 
of  Verses,"  and  "The  Elephant,"  from  "Child's  Primer  of 


Natural  History,"  are  used  by  permission  of  the  author,  Oliver 
Herford.  "  The  Good  Bear  and  the  Lost  Boy  "  and  "  How  Fire 
was  Brought  to  the  Indians,"  from  "  Wigwam  Stories,"  are  used 
by  permission  of  the  author,  Mary  C.  Judd.  ':  Robin  Hood," 
from  "  Life  in  the  Greenwood,"  is  used  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  author,  Marion  F.  Lansing.  "  The  Real  Princess  "  and  "  The 
Jumping  Match,"  from  Andersen's  "  Fairy  Tales,"  are  used  by 
permission  of  Mrs.  J.  H.  S.  Lansing.  :'  The  Barmecide's  Feast," 
from  "  Arabian  Nights'  Entertainments,"  is  used  by  permission 
of  Mrs.  Martha  A.  L.  Lane.  "  Seeds  "  and  "  Flight "  are  used  by 
permission  of  the  author,  Aileen  Cleveland  Higgins.  "  Prometheus 
the  Fire-Bringer"  and  "  Lotus  and  Rainbow"  are  used  by  permis- 
sion of  the  author,  Caroline  B.  Churchill.  "  A  Story  of  the  Cave 
People  "  is  used  by  permission  of  Marlborough  B.  Churchill. 


CONTENTS 

An  asterisk  after  a  title  indicates  that  the  selection  is  to  be  memorized.  The 
complete  list  of  selections  to  be  memorized  will  be  found  on  page  44  of  the 
Teachers'  Manual. 

PAGE 

THE  FAIRY  BOOK Norman  Gale  3 

MY  LORD  BAG-O'-RiCE Japanese  Fairy  Tale  6 

RICE  RAINS Mary  Fenollosa  13 

THE  AME-YA Mart/  Fenollosa  15 

THE  BAKER  BOYS  OF  ANDERNACH Old  Talc  19 

THE  GOOD  BEAR  AND  THE  LOST  BOY    .     .      J/Vf/7/  Catherine  Judd  23 

THE  BALL* William  Allintjltam  28 

THE  BARMECIDE'S  FEAST From  the  Arabian  Nights  30 

THE  Two  MERCHANTS Hindu  Tale  3G 

FOUR  THINGS* Henry  van  Dyke  42 

THE  DRUM Eugene  Field  43 

THE  CAT  AND  THE  PARROT Eastern  Folk  Tale  47 

BLOCK  CITY Robert  Louis  Stevenson  54 

THE  DARING  PRINCE James  Whitcomb  Riley  56 

THE  REAL  PRINCESS Plans  Christian  Andersen  57 

ODDS  AND  ENDS Angela  ^f.  Kei/es  61 

LITTLE  IN-A-MINUTE Carolyn  Sherwin  Bailey  63 

AN  EASY  WAY  TO  LEARN  TO  READ       .      Adapted  from  Goldsmith  72 

THE  CONJURER  AND  THE  TAILOR       .     .      Adapted  from  Goldsmith  74 

LITTLE  DICK  AND  THE  CLOCK James  Whitcomb  Riley  76 

LITTLE  ANKLEBONE Hindu  Tale  78 

SEEDS* Aileen  Cleveland  Higgins  86 

THE  POMEGRANATE  SEEDS Adapted  from  Hawthorne  87 

FOUR  SWEET  MONTHS* Robert  Herrick  108 

A  FROST  FANCY* Richard  Le  Gallienne  110 

KRISS  KR INGLE* Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich  112 

CHRISTMAS  AT  THE  HOLLOW  TREE  INN       .      Albert  Biyelow  Paine  114 

THE  WHOLE  DUTY  OF  KITTENS* Oliver  Herford  125 

vi 


Yll 

PAGE 

THE  MONKEY'S  REVENGE E.  V.  Lucas  126 

RING  OUT,  WILD  BELLS* Alfred  Tennyson  137 

EVERY  DAY'S  A  LITTLE  YEAR* Annette  Wynne  137 

A  FRIENDLY  WORD* Annette  Wynne  137 

PHAETON   AND  THE  HORSES  OF  THE  SUN Francillon  138 

A  LITTLE  HERO English  Hero  Tale  145 

THE  BOY  WHO  DID  NOT  KNOW   FEAR      .     .     Adapted  from  Soutkey  150 

ALICE'S  ADVENTURES  IN  WONDERLAND      ....    Lewis  Carroll  154 

DOWN  THE  RABBIT  HOLE 154 

THE  POOL  OF  TEARS 168 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  MARNE 182 

JOAN  OF  ARC 183 

NAIIUM  PRINCE Edward  Ecerett  Hale  188 

THE  FLOWER  OF  LIBERTY* Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  193 

THE  YOUNG  SENTINEL American  Hero  Story  194 

SHOULDER  TO  SHOULDER* Clinton  Scollard  198 

FRANKLIN'S  KITE-TRAVEL 200 

FLIGHT Aileen  Cleveland  Higgins  203 

THE  FIRST  FLYING-MACHINE Greek  Myth  204 

TURNING  THE  GRINDSTONE Benjamin  Franklin  208 

THE  OBSTINATE  SHOEMAKER J.  Christian  Bay  211 

THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  QUAILS      .     .     Adapted  from  a  Jataka  Tale  218 

THE  CAMEL  AND  THE  PIG Animal  Folk  Tale  222 

A  SEASIDE  STROLL Mary  Fenollosa  226 

TREES* Sara  Coleridge  229 

ROBIN  HOOD Marion  F.  Lansing  230 

A  WOLF  HUNT Hero  Tale  239 

JUST  DOING  HIS  DUTY Hero  Tale  244 

THE  JUMPING-MATCH Hans  Christian  Andersen  246 

THE  TUG  OF  WAR Bahama  Folk  Tale  252 

THE  ELEPHANT ^ Oliver  Herford  255 

THE  ELEPHANT Hilaire  Belloc  256 

THE  CRAB  AND  THE  Fox Minna  B.  Noyes  257 

THE  TRAVELS  OF  A  Fox  .     .....      New  England  Folk  Tale  260 

How  FIRE  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  THE  INDIANS      Mary  Catherine  Judd  265 

PROMETHEUS  AND  THE  GIFT  OF  FIRE Greek  Myth  267 

PROMETHEUS,  THE  FIRE-BRINGER  ....      Caroline  B.  Churchill  269 


Vlll 

PAGE 

FLINT* Christina  G.  Rossetti  278 

THE  WISE  YOUNG  KING From  the  Bible  279 

THE  TOWER  THAT  WAS  NEVER  FINISHED       .     .     .  From  the  Bible  283 

THE  PICKPOCKET  IN  THE  Zoo E.  V.  Lucas  287 

THE  RHINOCEROS  CHANGES  HIS  NAME  TO  JIM 291 

THE  WILD  BEAST  TAMER Cleveland  Mojfett  297 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  BROOK*       .     .  Translated  Inj  H.  W.  Longfellow  305 

MAIDS  OF  FANCY W.  II.  Hudson  306 

THE  CLOUD* Percy  Bt/sshe  Shelley  317 

How  BEAUTIFUL  is  THE  RAIN Henri/  W.  Longfellow  317 

UMBRELLAS Mclrille  Chafer  318 

THE  THREE  GOLDEN  APPLES    ....    Abridged  from  llau-thorne  320 

PART  I.    THE  JOURNEY 320 

PART  II.  ATLAS 325 

MY  TREASURES Roheri  Louis  Stevenson  335 

A  STORY  OF  THE  CAVE  PEOPLE     ....    Marlborough  Churchill  337 

A  CAVE  FAMILY 337 

A  CAVE  SUPPER 338 

NIGHT  IN  THE  CAVE 340 

THE  FIRST  ARTIST 344 

THE  MAMMOTH  HUNT 347 

LOTUS  AND  RAINBOW Caroline  B.  Churchill  350 

HIAWATHA'S  PICTURE-WRITING*    ....     Henry  W.  Lone/fellow  360 

PHONETIC  CHARTS 365 

LITTLE  DICTIONARY 374 

REVIEW  SPELLING 378 

SECOND  YEAR,  FIRST  HALF 378 

SECOND  YEAR,   SECOND  HALF 381 

THIRD  YEAR,  FIRST  HALF 384 

THIRD  YEAR,  SECOND  HALF 386 

SPELLING  FOR  FOURTH  YEAR  .  389 


INTERMEDIATE  READERS 
PART  ONE.   FOURTH  YEAR 


PART  ONE.   FOURTH  YEAR 

THE  FAIRY  BOOK 
NOKMAN  GALE 

In  summer,  when  the   grass  is  thick,  if  mother 

has  the  time, 
She  shows  me  with  her  pencil  how  a  poet  makes 

a  rhyme, 
And    often    she    is    sweet    enough    to    choose    a 

leafy   nook, 
Where   I   cuddle    up   so   closely   w^hen   she  reads 

the  Fairy  Book. 

In   winter,    w^hen    the   corn 's   asleep,   and   birds 

are  not  in  song, 

And  crocuses  and  violets  have  been  away  too  long, 
Dear  mother  puts  her  thimble  by  in  answer  to 

my  look, 
And    I    cuddle    up    so    closely    when    she    reads 

the  Fairy  Book. 


And   mother   tells   the   servants   that   of    course 

they  must  contrive 
To  manage  all  the   household  things  from  four 

till  half-past  five, 
For   we   really   cannot   suffer    interruption   from 

the  cook, 
When  we  cuddle  close  together  with  the  happy 

Fairy  Book. 


What  is  the  best  place  for  reading  a  book  in  summer  ? 

What  is  the  best  place  in  winter  ?    • 

How  does  mother  find  the  time  to  read  ? 

Would  you  choose  a  fairy  book  ? 

If  not,  what  book  would  you  choose  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Say  some  lines  from  this  poem  and  tell  which  words 
rhyme.    Say  some  from  another  poem  and  tell  the  words 
that  rhyme.    To  "  suffer  interruption"  means  to  allow  a 
stop.    Why   does    one   not   want   to    suffer   interruption 
while  reading  ? 

2.  Find  words  in  the  poem  having  these  sounds :  er  =  ur 
in  urn ;  er  =  er  in  after. 

3.  A  syllable  may  be  a  single  letter  or  several  letters 
taken  together  so  as  to  form  one  sound. 

4.  When  a  word  has  more  than  one  syllable,  you  pro- 
nounce one  of  the  syllables  more  strongly  than  the  others. 
This  is  called  accent.    This  little  mark  (')  is  used  to  show 
the  accented  syllable. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  * 

contrive  (kon  triv') :  to  plan 

manage  (man'aj)  :  to  attend  to 

interruption  (in  te  rtip'shun)  :  a  breaking-in  upon 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
enough  grass  often  song 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


6 


MY- LORD  BAG-O'-RICE 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  brave  warrior, 
called  My  Lord  Bag-o'-Rice,  who  spent  all  his  time 
in  waging  war  against  the  King's  enemies. 

One  day,  when  he  had  sallied  forth  to  seek 
adventures,  he  came  to  an  immensely  long  bridge, 
spanning  a  river  just  at  the  place  where  it  flowed 
out  of  a  fine  lake.  When  he  set  foot  on  this 
bridge,  he  saw  that  a  Serpent  twenty  feet  long 
was  lying  there,  basking  in  the  sun,  in  such  a 
way  that  he  could  not  cross  the  bridge  without 
treading  on  it. 

Most  men  would  have  taken  to  their  heels  at  so 
frightful  a  sight.   But  My  Lord  Bag-o'-Rice  was  not 
to  be  daunted.    He  simply  walked  right  ahead,  - 
squash,  crunch,  over  the  Serpent's  body. 

Instantly  the  Serpent  turned  into  a  tiny  Dwarf, 
who,  humbly  bending  the  knee,  and  knocking  the 
planks  of  the  bridge  three  times  with  his  head  in 
token  of  respect,  said  :  '  My  Lord !  you  are  a  man, 
you  are !  For  many  a  weary  day  have  I  lain  here, 
waiting  for  one  who  should  avenge  me  on  my 


enemy.  But  all  who  saw  me  were  cowards,  and 
ran  away.  You  will  avenge  me,  will  you  not?  1 
live  at  the  bottom  of  this  lake,  and  my  enemy 
is  a  Centipede  who  dwells  at  the  top  of  yonder 
mountain.  Come  along  with  me,  I  beseech  you. 
If  you  help  me  not,  I  am  undone. " 

The  Warrior  was  delighted  at  having  found  such 
an  adventure  as  this.  He  willingly  followed  the 
Dwarf  to  his  summerhouse  beneath  the  waters  of 
the  lake.  It  was  all  curiously  built  of  coral  and 
pearl  sprays  in  the  shape  of  seaweed  and  other 
water-plants,  with  fresh-water  crabs  as  big  as 
men,  and  w^ater-monkeys  and  newts  and  tadpoles 
as  servants  and  bodyguards.  When  they  had 
rested  awhile,  dinner  was  brought  in  on  trays 
shaped  like  the  leaves  of  water  lilies.  The  dishes 
were  water-cress  leaves,  -  -  not  real  ones,  but  much 
more  beautiful  than  real  ones,  for  they  were  of 
water-green  porcelain  with  a  shimmer  of  gold  ; 
and  the  chopsticks  were  of  beautiful  petrified 
wood  like  black  ivory.  As  for  the  w^ine  in  the 
cups,  it  looked  like  water;  but,  as  it  tasted  all 
right,  what  did  looks  signify? 


8 

Well,  there  they  were,  feasting  and  singing; 
and  the  Dwarf  had  just  pledged  the  Warrior  in  a 
goblet  of  hot,  steaming  wine,  when  thud !  thud ! 
thud!  like  the  tramp  of  an  army,  the  fearful 
monster  of  whom  the  Dwarf  had  spoken  was 
heard  approaching.  It  sounded  as  if  a  continent 
were  in  motion ;  and  on  either  side  there  seemed 
to  be  a  row  of  a  thousand  men  with  lanterns.  But 
the  Warrior  was  able  to  make  out,  as  the  danger 
drew  nearer,  that  all  this  fuss  was  made  by  a 
single  creature,  an  enormous  Centipede  over  a 
mile  long;  and  that  what  had  seemed  like  men 
with  lanterns  on  either  side  of  it,  were  in  reality 
its  own  feet,  of  which  it  had  exactly  one  thousand 
on  each  side  of  its  body,  all  of  them  glistening  and 
glinting  with  the  sticky  poison  that  oozed  out  of 
every  pore. 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  The  Centipede 
was  already  halfway  down  the  mountain.  So  the 
Warrior  snatched  up  his  bow, —  a  bow  so  big  and 
heavy  that  it  would  have  taken  five  ordinary  men 
to  pull  it,  —  fitted  an  arrow  into  the  bow-notch, 
and  let  fly. 


10 

He  was  not  one  ever  to  miss  his  aim.  The 
arrow  struck  right  in  the  middle  of  the  monster's 
forehead.  But  alas !  it  rebounded  as  if  that  fore- 
head had  been  made  of  brass. 

A  second  time  did  the  Warrior  take  his  bow 
and  shoot.  A  second  time  did  the  arrow  strike 
and  rebound ;  and  now  the  dreadful  creature  was 
down  at  the  water's  edge,  and  would  soon  pollute 
the  lake  with  its  filthy  poison.  Said  the  Warrior 
to  himself:  ;'  Nothing  kills  Centipedes  so  surely 
as  human  spittle. "  And  with  these  words,  he 
spat  on  the  tip  of  the  only  arrow  that  remained 
to  him  (for  there  had  been  but  three  in  his  quiver). 
This  time  again  the  arrow  hit  the  Centipede  right 
in  the  middle  of  the  forehead.  But  instead  of 
rebounding,  it  went  right  in  and  came  out  again  at 
the  back  of  the  creature's  head,  so  that  the  Centi- 
pede fell  down  dead,  shaking  the  whole  country- 
side like  an  earthquake,  and  the  poisonous  light 
on  its  two  thousand  feet  darkening  to  a  dull  glare 
like  that  of  the  twilight  of  a  stormy  day. 

Then  the  Warrior  found  himself  wafted  back 
to  his  own  castle ;  and  round  him  stood  a  row  of 


11 

presents,  on  each  of  which  were  inscribed  the 
words,  "  From  yoilr  grateful  dwarf.77  One  of  these 
presents  was  a  large  bronze  bell,  which  the  War- 
rior, who  was  a  religious  man  as  well  as  a  brave 
one,  hung  up  in  the  temple  that  contained  the 
tombs  of  his  ancestors.  The  second  was  a  sword, 
which  enabled  him  ever  after  to  gain  the  victory 
over  all  his  enemies.  The  third  wTas  a  suit  of 
armor  which  no  arrow  could  penetrate.  The 
fourth  was  a  roll  of  silk,  which  never  grew 
smaller,  though  he  cut  off  large  pieces  from  time 
to  time  to  make  himself  a  new  court  dress. 

The  fifth  was  a  bag  of  rice,  which,  though  he 
took  from  it  day  after  day  for  meals  for  himself, 
his  family,  and  his  trusty  retainers,  never  got 
exhausted  so  long  as  he  lived. 

And  it  was  from  this  fifth  and  last  present 
that  he  took  his  name  and  title  of  "  My  Lord 
Bag-o7-Rice " ;  for  all  the  people  thought  that 
there  was  nothing  stranger  in  the  whole  world 
than  this  wonderful  bag,  which  made  its  owner 
such  a  rich  and  happy  man. 


12 

What  did  people  do  when  they  saw  a  huge  snake  on 
the  bridge? 

What  did  the  soldier  do? 

In  what  way  was  the  soldier  braver  than  other  people  ? 

What  new  task  did  he  have  ? 

How  did  he  help  the  dwarf  ? 

How  was  he  rewarded  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  "  Token  of  respect,"  a  sign  of  honor ;  petrified,  turned 
to  stone ;  continent,  one  of  the  largest  divisions  of  land. 
Tell  how  you  would  draw  a  centipede.  Tell  some  stories  of 
bravery  you  know.    Tell  some  other  Japanese  story  you 
have  read.    Tell  about  the  gifts.    Which  of  the  gifts  was 
best,  and  why  ? 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  having  these  sounds:  a  =  a 
in  sofa ;  ear  =  ur  in  urn. 

3.  What  is  a  syllable?    What  is  accent?    Show  the 
mark  that  is  used  for  an  accented  syllable. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
daunted  (dant'Sd)  :  cowed,  made  afraid 
avenge  (a  v£nj')  :  to  punish  one's  enemy 
newts  (nutz)  :  small  water  lizards 
poisonous  (poi'z'n  us)  :  full  of  poison,  destructive 
pollute  (po  lut')  :  to  make  impure 
retainers  (re  tan'erz)  :  servants 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
dwarf  sword  arrow  pearl  armor 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


13 


RICE  RAINS1 
MARY  FENOLLOSA 

Rice  rains,  rice  rains,  I  wish  you'd  go  away! 

You  make  the  sky  so  black  with  clouds  we  can- 
not see  to  play! 

The  rivers  run  with  yellow  mud,  -  -  the  bamboo 
gutters  spill, 

And  soon,  I  fear,  you'll  wash  away  the  pine  tree 
on  the  hill. 

Rice    rains,    rice    rains,    I    hope    you'll    soon    be 

through ; 
We  children  have  to  sulk  indoors,  and  all  because 

of  you! 

1  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "Blossoms  from  a  Japanese  Garden," 
by  Mary  Fenollosa.    Copyrighted,  1913,  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company. 


14 

My  mother  says  you  help  to  grow  the  rice  that 

we  must  eat. 
But  I  am  sure  there  's  plenty  in  the  rice  shop 

down  the  street! 

Why  are  the  rains  called  "  rice  rains  "  ? 
To  what  country  do  you  think  the  child  belongs  ? 
What  mistake  does  the  child  make  when  he  thinks 
"there's  plenty  in  the  rice  shop"? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  A  gutter  is  a  channel  or  pipe  for  running  water.    In 
Japan  these  gutters  are  made  of  bamboo.    Bamboo  is  the 
wood  of  the  bamboo  tree,  which  grows  in  warm  countries 
and  is  used  for  building.   Name  some  other  uses  of  bamboo. 
What  do  children  do  when  they  sulk  ?   Recite  some  other 
poems  about  rain. 

2.  Find  two  words  in  the  poem  where  ou  =  oo  in  moon ; 
find  one  in  the  poem  where  u  =  oo  in  moon. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
gutters  yellow  rivers 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


15 


THE  AME-YA1 

MARY  FENOLLOSA 

Down  the  narrow  streets  of  Yeddo 

Comes  a  peddler  old  and  gray, 
On  his  back  a  wondrous  outfit, 

In  his  mouth  a  pipe  of  clay. 
Loud  he  whistles,  and  the  children, 

Crowding,  haste  from  near  and  far, 
Clasp  their  little  hands  for  pleasure, 

'  Yonder  comes  the  Ame-ya !  " 

Gently  down  he  sets  the  workshop, 

On  whose  lacquered  shelves  is  laid 
Kice-flour  paste,  lacquered  vessels, 

Tinted  every  different  shade. 
Marvelous  are  the  things  he  fashions, 

Birds  and  beasts  and  moon  and  star. 
:'Now  what  will  you,  bright-eyed  youngsters?" 

Gayly  asks  the  Ame-ya. 

1  Reprinted  by  permission  from  "Blossoms  from  a  Japanese  Garden," 
by  Mary  Fenollosa.    Copyrighted,  1913,  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company. 


17 
' 


First  a  dragon."    Soft  and  pliant 

Swells  the  red  and  yellow  dough  ; 
Like  a  curious  twisted  bubble 

From  his  pipe  they  watch  it  blow. 
Eyes  of  bead,   and  fins  of  silver  : 

There,   'tis  finished,   naught  to  mar. 
"  Ah,  it  's  mine  !  ';   the  children  clamor, 

"  Give  it  to  me,  Ame-ya  !  " 

'  Bring  your  rin,  and  bring  your  tempo, 

Cheap  the  price  for  such  a  sight. 
Every  child  shall  have  a  wonder 

If  I  blow  and  blow  till  night.7' 
Fruit  and  flower,  see  them  growing 

Planted  in  a  tiny  jar. 
'Tis  no  marvel  that  the  children 

Love  the  kindly  Ame-ya. 

What  brings  the  children  crowding  together? 
What  does  the  peddler  carry  on  his  back  ? 
How  does  he  use  his  pipe  ? 

Have  you  ever  seen  glass  objects  blown  from  -a  pipe 
as  you  blow  bubbles  ? 

Can  you  find  any  at  home  ? 

Tell  some  of  the  things  the  Ame-ya  blew  from  his  pipe. 


18 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Yeddo  is  in  Japan.    What  story  have  you  just  read 
about  Japan  ?    What  poem  ?    Who  is  the  Ame-ya  ?    Lac- 
quered vessels  are   varnished   wooden   dishes.    They  are 
generally  black  and  have  bright-colored  flowers  painted  on 
them.    Have  you  ever  seen  any?    Where?    Use  another 
word  for  marvelous.    Pliant  means  soft,  easily  bent.    Why 
must  the  dough  be  pliant  ?    Describe  the  dragon.    "  Naught 
to  mar"  means  nothing  to  spoil  the  dragon.   Give  another 
word  for  clamor.    What  did  the  toys  cost  ?   A  rin  is  about 
one  tenth  of  a  cent.    A  tempo  is  eight  cents,  —  a  long, 
oval,  copper  coin  with  a  square  hole  in  the  middle.    Give 
another  word  for  marvel. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  poem  where  ui  =  66  in  moon  ;  au  =  6 
in  short ;  and  ou  =  u  in  fun. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
lacquered  (lak'erd)  :  varnished 
dough  (do)  :  a  soft  paste  of  flour  or  meal 
wondrous  (wtin'drus)  :  wonderful 
pleasure  (pl&h'ur) :  joy 
marvelous  (mar'vel  us)  :  wonderful 
curious  (ku'ri  us)  :  strange,  rare 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
Ame-ya  naught  kindly  gayty 

clamor  gently  tempo  soft 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


19 


THE  BAKER  BOYS  OF  ANDERNACH 

MINNA  B.  NOYES 

The  people  of  Andernach  like  to  sleep  late  in 
the  morning,  and  only  the  bakers  rise  early  to 
have  fresh  bread  ready  for  breakfast.  There  was 
once  a  war  between  Andernach  and  Linz,  and 
even  today  these  cities  are  not  good  friends. 

As  the  people  of  Linz  knew  very  well  that 
the  people  of  Andernach  always  slept  late,  they 
determined  to  attack  the  city  early  in  the 


morning. 


All  their  plans  were  made,  and  they  thought 
they  could  conquer  the  city.  At  midnight  they 
left  Linz  and  went  quietly  towards  Andernach. 


20 

They  arrived  very  early  and  thought  they  could 
pass  unseen  through  the  unwatched  gates. 

Meanwhile  the  bakers  of  Andernach  had  baked 
their  bread.  When  their  work  was  done,  they  lay 
down  and  had  a  morning  nap.  When  the  army 
from  Linz  came  near  Andernach,  all  the  inhabit- 
ants were  asleep  except  the  baker  boys.  They 
had  gone  softly  out  of  the  bakehouse  to  steal 
some  honey  from  the  gatekeeper's  beehives  upon 
the  tower.  They,  crept  up  the  stairs  of  the  tower, 
and  were  just  about  to  take  the  honey  when  they 
heard  a  slight  noise.  "  Oh !  7:  wrhispered  one  to 
the  other,  :'  the  gatekeeper  is  coming.  He  will 
surely  wrhip  us."  They  both  listened,  and  after  a 
moment  they  said  :  "It  cannot  be  the  gatekeeper; 
he  is  fast  asleep,  and,  besides,  he  w^ould  come 
up  the  stairs.  The  noise  does  not  come  from  the 
stairs.  It  seems  to  be  outside."  Softly,  very  softly, 
for  they  did  not  wish  to  be  caught  stealing  honey, 
they  crept  to  the  edge  of  the  tower  and  looked 
down.  There  stood  the  army  of  Linz !  The  baker 
boys  saw  that  the  soldiers  had  put  up  a  ladder 
so  that  they  could  climb  over  the  gate  into  the 


21 

city.  The  boys,  seeing  the  danger,  stood  a  moment 
as  if  turned  to  stone.  What  could  they  do  ?  They 
could  not  wake  the  people  quickly  enough,  and 
they  had  no  weapons  to  drive  the  enemy  away. 

All  at  once  one  of  the  boys  thought  of  the 
beehives.  He  motioned  to  his  companion.  Each 
lifted  a  beehive  very  carefully,  carried  it  to  the 
edge  of  the  tower,  and  threw  it  down  upon  the 
soldiers  at  the  foot  of  the  tower.  When  they  fell, 
the  beehives  broke  into  many  pieces,  and  the  bees 
flew  wildly  about  and  stung  the  soldiers  so  that 
they  cried  aloud.  The  boys  ran  down  the  stairs, 
went  quickly  to  the  city  hall,  rang  the  great 
bell,  and  waked  the  lazy  people  from  their  long 
morning  sleep.  All  ran  to  the  gate  of  the  city,  but 
their  help  was  not  needed,  for  the  bees  had  stung 
the  army  so  severely  that  everyone  had  fled. 

Out  of  gratitude,  the  people  of  Andernach  had 
a  stone  statue  of  the  two  baker  boys  placed  over 
the  city  gate  which  they  had  defended,  and  there 
you  can  see  it  today.  The  inhabitants  have  never 
forgotten  the  brave  deed,  and  often  speak  of  the 
clever  idea  of  the  baker  boys. 


22 

The  people  of  Linz  never  came  back  to  attack 
Andernach,  for  they  said  that  the  bees  of  Ander- 
nach  wake  early,  while  the  inhabitants  sleep  late. 

What  surprise  did  the  people  of  Linz  plan  ? 
Who  were  not  surprised  ?    Why  not  ? 
.    How  did  they  save  the  city  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  A  city  has  gates  to  defend  it  against  attack  by  an 
enemy.    Give  another  word  for  gratitude.    How  did  the 
people  of  Andernach  show  their  gratitude  to  the  baker 
boys?    Tell  different  ways  of  showing  gratitude.    When 
the  Gauls  attacked  the  capital  at  Rome,  every  one  was 
asleep  except  the   geese.    Go  to  the  library  and  read  in 
Plutarch's  "Lives"  how  the  geese  saved  Rome. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ea  =  e  in  me ;  ea  =  e  in 
elf ;  i  =  y  in  yellow  ;  y  =  1  in  is ;  and  di  =  j  in  Jack. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  • 
Andernach  (an'der  nak)  :  a  town  in  Prussia 
Linz  (lints)  :  a  city  in  Austria 
conquer  (kftn'ker)  :  to  gain  by  force  of  arms 
gratitude  (grat'i  tud)  :  thankfulness 
clever  (kleVer) :  showing  quick  wits 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
carefully       towards       softly       early       pass       gone 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


23 


THE  GOOD  BEAR  AND  THE  LOST  BOY 
MARY  CATHERINE  JUDD 

A  boy  went  out  to  hunt  and  crawled  into  a 
great  hole  where  porcupines  lived.  He  wanted 
to  get  some  of  the  young  ones.  The  dirt  fell 
into  the  hole  behind  him  and  shut  him  in  with 
the  porcupines. 

The  boy  cried  himself  to  sleep,  for  he  knew 
his  father  could  not  find  him.  When  he  awoke 
he  saw  the  mother  porcupine  as  big  as  a  squaw. 
She  gave  him  some  food,  but  he  could  not  eat. 
The  food  was  bitter. 

The  porcupine  squaw  said,  "I  will  call  a  coun- 
cil, for  I  do  not  know  what  to  feed  you." 


24 

The  council  was  held  in  the  woods  close  by. 
Wolves,  bears,  foxes,  and  deer  caine.  The  motner 
sent  her  young  porcupines  to  call  these  animals 
to  the  council.  The  boy  w^as  glad  he  had  not 
hurt  any  one  in  the  porcupine  cave. 

The  mother  porcupine  stood  in  the  council 
and  said :  'I  have  found  this  creature  in  the 
house  I  have  made  for  my  little  ones.  He  is 
hungry,  but  he  cannot  eat  what  my  children 
eat.  Tell  me  what  to  give  him  so  that  he  may 
live/' 

The  great  gray  fox  rose  then  and  answered: 
'  I  live  on  geese  and  the  birds  of  the  forest.  He 
is  the  child  of  the  red  man.  The  red  man  has 
fire  and  clay.  He  cooks  his  food;  I  do  not." 

The  council  decided  that  the  fox  should  not 
take  the  boy. 

A  wolf  stood  in  the  council:  "I  have  many 
cubs  in  my  den.  They  are  always  hungry.  I  am 
always  hungry.  It  is  better  for  the  boy  never 
to  see  the  place  w^here  1  sleep/7 

And  the  council  agreed  that  the  wrolf  mother 
should  not  take  the  boy. 


25 


The  deer  did  not  stand.  His  head  was  covered 
with  tall  antlers.  He  sat  and  looked  with  kind 
eyes  at  the  man-child.  He  said :  '  I  have  hidden 
my  family  in  the  thick  bushes.  They  are  safe 
while  I  am  in  this  council.  We  feed  on  wild 
grass  and  the  tender  leaves  of  the  trees.  "We 
love  one  another,  but  there  are  many  who  hunt 
us.  The  child  could  never  run  as  we  run.  Our 
eyes  see  much.  We  see,  we  hear,  and  we  run. 
The  child  has  two  feet ;  we  have  four.  He  could 
not  follow  us." 

The  council  said  that  the  deer  should  not  take 
the  boy. 


M7 


26 
The  bear  rose  on  his  hind  les  and  said:    r 


feed  on  nuts.  My  little  ones  are  warm  and  not 
hungry.  I  will  take  the  boy." 

The  council  said  that  the  bear  was  wise.  The 
boy  should  go  writh  him,  and  all  the  other  animals 
wrould  help  to  gather  the  nuts  for  his  feeding. 
The  council  fire  w^as  put  out,  and  each  one  went 
home.  The  boy  followed  the  bear  to  a  hole  in 
a  great  tree.  The  mother  bear  and  the  cubs 
welcomed  him,  and  the  boy  was  happy. 

He  learned  to  talk  as  the  bears  talk  and  to 
walk  like  them.  Nothing  hurt  him,  and  he  was 
never  hungry.  Some  Indians  saw  the  father  bear 
one  day  and  chased  him.  Then  they  found  the 
mother  and  her  cubs,  and  all  w^ere  killed. 

The  boy  hid  in  the  hollow  tree.  The  Indians 
found  him  and  took  him  away.  He  was  very 
wild  and  did  not  love  his  people,  for  they  had 
killed  the  bears. 

The  Indian  boy  was  kept  in  the  wigwam.  He 
learned  the  ways  of  his  people  again,  but  never 
did  he  shoot  or  trap  a  bear. 


27 

What  accident  happened  to  the  Indian  boy  ? 
Why  did  the  animals  hold  a  council  ? 
Tell  why  the  porcupine,  the  fox,  and  the  wolf  could  not 
keep  the  boy. 

What  offer  did  the  bear  make  ? 

How  did  the  boy  live  with  the  bear  ? 

How  did  he  show  his  gratitude  to  the  bears  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  is  an  Indian  mother  called?    A  council  is  a 
gathering  of  men  called  to  give  advice.   Who  attended  this 
council  ?   What  are  little  bears  called  ?   Read  in  Kipling's 
"Jungle  Stories"  about  the  boy  who  lived  with  the  wolves. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  aw  =  o  in  short ;  c  =  s 
in  sandy ;  and  ea  =  a  in  care. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

porcupine    (por'ku  pm) :    an    animal   having   stiff,   sharp 

spines 

squaw  (skwo):  an  Indian  woman 
creature  (kre'tur)  :  an  animal  or  a  person 
decided  (de  sid'ed)  :  settled 
learned  (lurnd) :  found  out  about 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
nothing  y°ung  dirt 

follow  hurt  saw 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


28 


THE  BALL 

WILLIAM  ALLINGHAM 

All  men,  black,  brown,  red,  yellow,  white, 
Are  brethren  in  their  Father's  sight. 
To  do  each  other  good  is  right, 
But  not  to  wrangle,  steal,  or  fight. 

A  thousand  millions,  young  and  old, 
Some  in  the  heat,  some  in  the  cold, 
Upon  this  Ball  of  Earth  are  roll'd 
Around  the  Sun's  great  flame  of  gold. 

And  this  great  Sun  is  like  indeed 
One  daisy  in  a  daisied  mead ; 
For  God's  power  doth  all  thought  exceed, 
And  of  us  also  He  takes  heed. 


29 

What  is  "The  Ball"? 

What  people  live  on  it  ? 

Why  should  they  all  live  in  peace  ? 

What  suggests  the  smallness  of  the  sun  and  of  each 
person  ? 

What  suggests  the  greatness  of  God  ? 

Tell  in  your  own  words  the  idea  that  all  men  are 
brothers. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  brethren.,  wrangle,  mead,  and 
heed.    "Some  in  the  heat"   means  people  living  in  hot 
countries.     Explain  "  some  in  the  cold."     Does  the  earth 
move    around    the    sun    or   the    sun    around   the    earth? 
"God's  powrer  doth  all  thought  exceed"  means  that  his 
power  is  greater  than  we  can  understand.     Say  the  first 
sentence  of  "  Our  Father"  and  tell  how  we  can  help  to 
make  the  prayer  come  true. 

2.  In  the  word  their,  ei  =  a  in  care.     Find  a  word  in 
the  poem  where  x  =  ks. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
brethren  (brSth're'n)  :  brothers 
wrangle  (ran'g'l)  :  to  quarrel 
millions  (mil'yunz)  :  a  very  large  number 
mead  (med)  :  a  meadow 
exceed  (8k  sed')  :  to  go  beyond 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 

thought  other  God's 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


30 


THE  BARMECIDE'S  FEAST 

Shacabac  was  once  a  rich  man,  but  he  became 
so  poor  that  he  had  to  beg  his  bread.  One  day 
he  went  forth  as  usual  to  seek  alms,  and  on 
his  way  he  beheld  a  handsome  house,  with 
servants  standing  at  the  door  commanding  and 


31 

forbidding.    So   he  came  up   to  the   doorkeepers 
and  begged  them  to  give  him  something. 

'Enter,'7  said  one  of  them  to  him,  "and  thou 
shalt  get  whatever  thou  hast  need  of  from  our 
master  himself. " 

Then  Shacabac  entered  the  palace  and  found 
himself  in  a  magnificent  hall  paved  with  marble 
and  hung  with  curtains.  At  the  upper  end  of 
a  room  which  opened  into  this  hall  sat  an  old 
man  with  a  long  white  beard.  Seeing  Shacabac, 
the  Barmecide  rose,  greeted  him  kindly,  and 
asked  him  what  he  could  do  to  serve  him ;  to 
which  Shacabac  replied  that  he  was  sorely  in 
need  of  food. 

'What!"  cried  the  old  man,  "art  thou  really 
hungry?  Thou  shalt  eat  with  me.  I  will  have 
food  brought  in  at  once.  Ho,  boy!  bring  us 
water  that  we  may  wash  our  hands,  and  order 
supper  immediately." 

Shacabac  w^as  about  to  thank  the  Barmecide 
for  his  kindness,  when  the  old  man  began  to 
rub  his  hands  together  as  if  he  were  washing 
them.  No  boy  appeared,  nor  was  there  either 


32 

basin  or  water,  yet  Shacabac  felt  that  he  must 
do  as  his  host  did. 

"Come/'  said  the  Barmecide,  "  thou  art  surely 
famished."  And  though  nothing  had  been  brought 
in,  he  pretended  to  eat  as  if  food  had  been  set 
before  him. 

'Eat,  my  friend/'  he  went  on;  ''there  is  no 
need  to  feel  shame,  for  I  have  known  what  it 
is  to  be  hungry  myself." 

So  Shacabac  made  all  the  motions  of  eating 
and  drinking,  while  his  host  called  for  dish 
after  dish  which  did  not  appear.  '  Ho,  boy !  " 
he  would  cry,  :'  bring  us  mutton  and  barley 
broth,  unless  my  guest  prefers  some  of  the 
goose  with  the  sweet  sauce.  Come,  taste  of 
these  chickens  stuffed  with  pistachio  nuts.  Hast 
thou  ever  tasted  any  like  them?" 

'  Never,"  said  Shacabac,  who  was  fainting 
with  hunger.  '  Never  have  I  eaten  anything  so 
delicious,"  and  he  pretended  to  feast  heartily. 

Then  the  Barmecide  named  other  dishes,  and 
Shacabac  did  not  fail  to  praise  them  warmly, 
until  at  length  he  declared  he  could  eat  no  more. 


33 

cried  the  Barmecide,  :'  thou  hast  had 
no  sweets!  Try  one  of  these  delicious  fritters 
before  the  sirup  runs  out  of  it."  And  he  went 
on  urging  upon  his  guest  all  kinds  of  fruits 
and  sweetmeats. 

At  last  Shacabac  became  weary  of  the  jest 
and  said  to  himself,  '  I  will  make  him  sorry 
for  having  fooled  me  thus."  So,  when  the  boy 
was  ordered  to  bring  in  wine  Shacabac  said : 
"  0  my  master,  I  must  drink  no  wine  with  thee. 
Surely  it  is  forbidden." 

'Keep  me  company  in  a  single  glass,"  said 
the  Barmecide,  and  Shacabac  bowed  low  as  if 
he  would  drink  to  the  health  of  his  host.  But 
as  the  old  man  lifted  the  unseen  glass  a  second 
time  to  his  lips  Shacabac  struck  him  such  a 
blow  that  the  room  rang  with  it. 

'  What  does  this  mean?  "  cried  the  Barmecide, 
trembling  writh  rage. 

"0  my  lord,"  said  Shacabac,  "  thou  hast 
given  me  too  much  of  that  rare  old  wine.  See, 
it  has  taken  away  my  wits  and  has  made  me 
behave  like  a  madman." 


34 

Then  the  Barmecide  laughed  very  heartily  and 
said :  '  Long  have  I  made  game  of  men,  but  thou 
art  the  first  I  have  seen  who  could  endure  this 
trick.  Now,  therefore,  I  pardon  thee  for  thy  rude- 
ness, and  thou  shalt  eat  with  me  in  good  earnest." 

So  saying,  he  clapped  his  hands,  and  the 
servants  brought  in  a  delicious  supper,  including 
all  the  eatables  that  had  been  mentioned  by  the 
Barmecide.  Shacabac  was  so  agreeable  to  his 
host  that  he  became  his  close  friend,  and  they 
lived  together  for  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  the  rich  man  died,  and  Shacabac  was 
forced  to  depart  from  the  city. 

Why  did  Shacabac  go  into  the  palace  of  the  old  man  ? 

What  did  the  Barmecide  promise  him  ? 

How  did  both  wash  their  hands  ? 

How  did  they  eat  the  feast  ? 

Why  did  the  Barmecide  enjoy  the  feast? 

How  did  Shacabac  feel  about  it  ? 

What  did  he  do  to  the  old  man  ? 

How  did  the  Barmecide  finish  the  joke  ? 


35 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1 .  Did  you  ever  play  party  without  anything  to  eat  ?  Tell 
about  it.   "  To  seek  alms  "  means  to  ask  for  money,  food,  or 
clothing;    "commanding  and  forbidding"   means  telling 
what  to  do  and  what  not  to  do.    What  kind  of  food  was 
offered  to  the  guest  ?    Who  was  the  guest  ?    Who  was  the 
host?  Give  other  words  for  sorely,  famished,  pretended, 
heartily,  declared,  smdjest.    "  Urging  upon  "  means  pressing 
upon.    Give  other  words  for  wits,  game,  endure,  depart. 

2.  What  sound  has  s  in  usual  ?    What  sound  has  ai  in 
curtains?    What  sound  has  ti  in  motions?    Find  other 
words  in  the  story  where  ti  =  sh. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  • 

palace  (pal'as)  :  a  large  and  stately  house 

Barmecide  (bar 'me  sid)  :   a  member  of  a  wealthy  Persian 

family 

magnificent  (mag  nif  I  sent)  :  grand,  brilliant 
appeared  (a  perd')  :  came  into  view 
immediately  (I  me'di  at  li)  :  at  once 
pretended  (pre  tSnd'Sd)  :  made  believe 
pistachio  nut  (pis  ta/shi  6) :  the  nut  of  the  pistachio  tree 
delicious  (de  lish'us)  :  pleasing  to  the  taste 
sorely  (sor'li) :  painfully 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  • 
either  sauce  glass 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


36 


THE  TWO  MERCHANTS 

Long,  long  ago,  in  the  kingdom  of  Seri,  there 
was  a  dealer  in  pots  and  pans.  This  merchant,  in 
the  company  of  another  dealer  in  the  same  wares, 
a  greedy  fellow,  crossed  the  river  Telavaha  and 
entered  the  city  of  Andhapura.  Dividing  the 
streets  between  them,  the  first  merchant  went 
around  selling  his  goods  in  the  streets  allotted 
to  him,  while  the  other  did  the  same  in  his 
district. 

Now  in  that  city  there  was  a  poor  family. 
Once  they  had  been  rich,  but  all  the  sons  and 
brothers  in  the  family  had  died  and  all  its 
property  had  been  lost.  Only  one  girl  and  her 
grandmother  were  left,  and  these  two  had  to 


37 

work  very  hard  for  a  living.  But  they  had  kept 
the  golden  bowl  out  of  which  the  grandfather, 
the  head  of  the  family,  used  to  eat  in  the  old 
days.  It  was  thrown  among  the  pots  and  pans, 
and  not  having  been  used  for  a  long  time,  w^as 
covered  with  dirt  so  that  the  two  women  did 
not  even  know  that  it  was  gold. 

The    greedy   merchant,    on    his    round,    crying 

'  Water  pots  to  sell!  water  pots  to  isell !  "  came 

to  the  door  of  their  house.    When  the  girl  saw 

him,  she  said  to  her  grandmother,   "  Oh,  do  buy 

me  a  trinket,  mother!" 

'  But  we  are  very  poor,  dear.    What  shall  we 
give   in  exchange  for  it?" 

'  Why,  here  's  this  bowl  which  is  no  good  to 
us;  let  us  give  that  away." 

The  old  woman  called  the  merchant,  and  after 
asking  him  to  take  a  seat,  showed  him  the  bowl 
and  said,  '  Will  you  take  this,  sir,  and  give 
something  to  your  little  sister  for  it?" 

The  merchant  took  the  bowl  in  his  hand, 
turned  it  over  and  over,  and,  suspecting  that  it 
was  gold,  scratched  a  line  on  the  back  of  it 


38 

with  a  needle  and  found  that  it  was  real  gold. 
Then,  hoping  to  get  the  bowl  without  giving 
anything  for  it,  he  said,  '  What  is  this  worth, 
pray?  Why,  it  isn't  worth  a  halfpenny!"  And 
throwing  it  on  the  floor,  he  went  away. 

Now,  as  it  had  been  agreed  between  the  two  mer- 
chants that  the  one  might  try  the  street  which 
the  other  had  left,  the  honest  merchant  came  to 
the  same  street  and  appeared  at  the  door  of  that 
very  house,  calling,  " Water  pots  to  sell!"  And 
the  girl  spoke  to  her  grandmother  as  before. 

:'  My  dear,"  replied  the  grandmother,  "  the 
lirst  merchant  threw  our  bowl  on  the  ground  and 
wrent  away.  What  have  we  left  to  offer  now?" 

"  Oh,  but  that  merchant,  mother  dear,  was  a 
surly  man;  but  this  one  looks  pleasant  and  has 
a  kind  voice.  Perhaps  he  may  take  it." 

"  Call  him  in,  then,"  said  she. 

So  the  girl  called  him.  He  came  in  and  sat 
down  and  they  gave  him  the  bowl.  Seeing  that 
it  was  gold,  he  said,  "  Mother,  this  bowl  is  worth 
a  hundred  thousand  pieces.  All  my  goods  are 
not  equal  to  it  in  value." 


39 

:'  But,  sir,  the  first  merchant  who  came  here 
said  that  it  was  not  worth  a  halfpenny.  He 
threw  it  on  the  ground  and  went  on  his  way. 
It  must  have  been  changed  into  gold  by  the 
power  of  your  own  goodness.  Take  it;  give  us 
some  trinket  for  it  and  go  your  way." 

At  the  time  the  merchant  had  five  hundred 
pieces  of  money  and  a  stock  worth  as  much 
more.  All  of  this  he  gave  to  them,  saying,  "  Let 
me  but  keep  my  scales,  my  bag,  and  eight  pieces 
of  money. "  These  he  took  and  departed. 

And  going  quickly  to  the  river  side,  he  gave 
his  eight  coins  to  a  boatman  and  jumped  into 
the  boat. 

Soon  the  greedy  merchant  came  back  to  the 
house  and  said,  "  Bring  out  that  bowl,  I'll  give 
you  something  for  it." 

Then  the  grandmother  scolded  him  and  said, 
'  You  pretended  that  our  golden  bowl,  worth  a 
hundred  thousand  pieces,  was  not  worth  even 
a  halfpenny;  but  an  honest  merchant,  your 
master,  I  take  it,  gave  us  a  thousand  pieces 
for  it  and  has  taken  it  away." 


40 

When  he  heard  this,  he  cried  out :  "  This  fellow 
has  robbed  ine  of  a  golden  bowl  worth  a  hun- 
dred thousand  pieces  1  He  has  ruined  me  alto- 
gether!" He  became  so  enraged  that  he  was 
like  a  madman.  Flinging  his  money  and  all  his 
goods  at  the  door  of  the  house,  he  tore  off  his 
clothes;  and  armed  with  the  beam  of  his  scales 
as  a  club,  he  tracked  the  honest  merchant  down 
to  the  river  side.  Finding  the  latter  already  cross- 
ing, the  greedy  merchant  shouted,  '  Boatman, 
put  back !  " 

But  the  honest  merchant  said,  " Don't  stop! 
Go  ahead!" 

As  the  other  stood  there,  gazing  and  gazing 
at  the  departing  merchant,  his  rage  became  so 
great  that  he  burst  a  blood  vessel  and  died. 

But  the  honest  merchant  had  the  bowl,  which 
he  sold  for  a  great  price.  He  spent  his  life  in 
giving  charity  and  doing  other  good  works. 

How  did  the  greedy  man  show  his  meanness  ? 
How  did  the  other  merchant  act  ? 
What  did  the  first  merchant  lose  by  his  greed  ? 
How  did  the  other  merchant  profit  by  his  honesty  ? 


41 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Why  did  the  poor  woman  not  know  that  her  bowl  was 
made  of  gold  ?  How  did  the  merchant  know  ?   What  would 
you  call  the  merchant  who  did  not  try  to  cheat  ?    What  is 
the  meaning  of  the  saying,  "  Honesty  is  the  best  policy  "  ? 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  uy  =  l  in  white  ;  ei  =  a 
in  care.   What  sound  has  ea  in  dealer  ?  Find  another  word 
where  ea  has  the  sound  of  e  in  me.    Give  the  sound  of  06 
in  took.    In  woman,  o  =  ob. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  • 

merchant  (mur'chant)  :  one  who  buys  and  sells 

honest  (b'n'e'st)  :  just,  not  false 

exchange  (eks  chanj')  :  the  giving  or  taking  one  thing  for 

another 

value  (val'u)  :  to  consider  of  worth 
wares  (warz)  :  goods 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
perhaps  worth 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


42 

FOUR  THINGS1 
HENRY  VAN  DYKE 

Four  things  a  man  must  learn  to  do, 
If  he  would  make  his  record  true : 
To  think  without  confusion  clearly ; 
To  love  his  fellow-men  sincerely; 
To  act  from  honest  motives  purely; 
To  trust  in  God  and  Heaven  securely. 

Have  you  learned  to  do  any  of  these  four  things  ? 
Which  one  was  hardest  for  you  to  learn  ? 
Tell  what  is  meant  by  "  make  his  record  true." 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

"  Without  confusion "  means  certain,  sure,  free  from 
doubt.  Give  other  words  for  sincerely.  Motives  means 
reasons,  aims,  purposes ;  purely  means  only,  wholly, 
simply ;  securely  means  with  faith,  with  belief. 

1  From  the  poems  of  Henry  van  Dyke,  published  and  copyrighted  by 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  Used  by  the  kind  permission  of  the  author  and 
the  publishers. 


43 


THE  DRUM 
EUGENE  FIELD 

I'm  a  beautiful  red,  red  drum, 

And  I  train  with  the  soldier  boys; 
As  up  the  street  we  come, 

Wonderful  is  our  noise! 
There  's  Tom,  and  Jim,  and  Phil, 

And  Dick,  and  Nat,  and  Fred, 
While  Widow  Cutler's  Bill 

And  I  march  on  ahead, 
With  a  r-r-rat-tat-tat 

And  a  tum-titty-um-tum-tum  - 
Oh,  there's  bushels  of  fun  in  that 

For  boys  with  a  little  red  drum! 


44 

The  Injuns  came  last  night 

While  the  soldiers  were  a-bed, 
And  they  gobbled  a  Chinese  kite 

And  off  to  the  woods  they  fled ! 
The  woods  are  the  cherry-trees 

Down  in  the  orchard  lot, 
And  the  soldiers  are  marching  to  seize 

The  booty  the  Injuns  got. 
With  tum-titty-um-tum-tum, 

And  r-r-rat-tat-tat, 
When  soldiers  marching  come 

Injuns  had  better  scat! 

Step  up  there,  little  Fred, 

And,  Charley,  have  a  mind! 
Jim  is  as  far  ahead 

As  you  two  are  behind! 
Ready  with  gun  and  sword 

Your  valorous  work  to  do- 
Yonder  the  Injun  horde 

Are  lying  in  wait  for  you. 
And  their  hearts  go  pitapat 

When  they  hear  the  soldiers  come 


45 


With  a  r-r-rat-tat-tat 

And  a  tum-titty-um-tum-tum ! 

'Course  it 's  all  in  play ! 

The  skulking  Injun  crew 
That  hustled  the  kite  away 

Are  little  white  boys,  like  you ! 
But  "honest"  or  "just  in  fun/7 

It  is  all  the  same  to  me; 
And,  when  the  battle  is  won, 

Home  again  march  we 
With  a  r-r-rat-tat-tat 

And  tuni-titty-um-tum-tum ; 
And  there  's  glory  enough  in  that 

For  the  boys  with  their  little  red  drum! 


46 

Who  is  doing  the  talking  in  this  poem  ? 
Who  are  the  soldiers  ? 
What  are  they  playing  ? 
Tell  about  the  fight. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Spell  "  Injun  "  in  the  right  way.   Booty  is  that  which 
is  taken  by  robbery.    What  booty  did  the  "  Injuns"  get? 
Valorous  means  brave.     Give   another  word   for  yonder, 
scat.   Horde  means  a  crowd.   What  is  the  "  Injun  horde  "  ? 
Give  two  words  for  'course.    Skulking  means  hiding  in  a 
sneaking  manner.    How  does  a  "skulking  Injun  crew" 
fight? 

2.  What  sound  has  eau  in  beautiful?  What  sound  has 
ph  in  Phil  ?  What  sound  has  gh  in  enough  ?  Give  the  sound 
of  e  in  me.  In  seize,  ei  =  e  in  me. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
valorous  (val'er  us)  :  brave 
glory  (glo'ri)  :  honor 
gobbled  (gSbTd) :  captured,  laid  hold  of 
orchard  (or'cherd)  :  a  field  containing  fruit  trees 
Chinese  (chi  neV)  :  made  in  China 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
widow  just 

For  spelling  see  page  389. 


47 


THE  CAT  AND  THE  PARROT 

Once  there  was  a  cat  and  once  there  was  a, 
parrot.  They  agreed  to  invite  each  other  to  din- 
ner, turn  and  turn  about.  The  cat  should  ask 
the  parrot  today,  and  the  parrot  should  ask  the 
cat  tomorrow. 

Well,  it  was  the  cat's  turn  first.  The  eat  went 
to  market  and  bought  nothing  but  a  pennyworth 
of  rice.  The  parrot  could  make  no  dinner  on 
this  meager  fare.  And  what  is  more,  the  cat  was 
so  ill-mannered  that  he  actually  made  the  parrot 
cook  the  food  himself.  Of  course  the  parrot  was 
too  well-bred  to  complain. 

Next  day  came  the  parrot's  turn.  He  went  to 
market  and  bought  a  leg  of  meat  and  a  whole 
fish,  head  and  tail  and  all,  and  about  thirty 
pounds  of  flour,  and  a  tub  of  butter,  and  great 
bunches  of  luscious  grapes.  And  before  his  guest 
came  he  cooked  the  food.  He  made  heaps  stnd 
heaps  of  brown,  crisp  spice  cakes,  thick  with 
currants,  oh,  enough  to '  fill  a  washerwoman's, 
basket. 


49 

Well,  the  cat  came,  and  the  parrot  set  the 
whole  meal  before  him,  keeping  only  two  cakes 
for  himself.  The  cat  ate  the  meat  till  he  licked 
the  plate,  and  he  picked  the  fish  till  the  bones 
were  clean,  and  he  sucked  the  grapes  till  the 
skins  were  dry,  and  then  he  began  on  the  cakes ; 
and  he  ate  the  whole  basketful.  Then  he  looked 
up  at  the  parrot  and  said,  "Have  you  any  more?/7 

'Take  my  two  cakes/7  said  the  parrot.  And 
the  cat  took  them.  Then  he  looked  up  at  the 
parrot  and  said,  "Have  you  any  more?" 

This  w^as  too  much  for  the  parrot.  Bristling 
his  feathers,  he  said  sharply,  "There's  nothing 
left  but  me."  And  the  cat  looked  him  over,  licked 
his  chops,  and --gull  up,  gulloo--down  went  the 
parrot,  bones,  beak,  and  feathers. 

Now  an  old  woman  had   seen  it  all,  and  she 

was  so  shocked  she  picked  up  a  stone,  and  cried : 

'  You  unnatural  cat,  how  could  you  eat  your  friend 

the  parrot?     Scat!    away  with  you,  before  L  hit 

you  with  this  stone." 

"  Old  woman,"  said  the  cat,  "I've  eaten  a  bas- 
ketful of  cakes,  I've  eaten  my  friend  the  parrot, 


50 

and  shall  I  blush  to  eat  an  old  hag  like  yon  ?  No, 
surely  not."  And--gullup,  gulloo  —  down  went 
the  old  woman  with  the  stone  in  her  hand. 

Then  the  cat  walked  along  the  road  till  he  met 
a  man  beating  a  donkey  to  make  him  go.  "  Cat," 
cried  the  old  man,  "  get  out  of  the  way,  or  my 
donkey  may  kick  you." 

'Man,"  said  the  cat,  '  I've  eaten  a  basketful 
of  cakes,  I've  eaten  my  friend  the  parrot,  I've 
eaten  an  old  wroman,  and  shall  I  blush  to  cut  a 
miserable  donkey  driver?  No,  surely  not."  And 
-gullup,  gulloo --down  went  the  man  with  his 
donkey. 

After  this  the  cat  walked  on  again  till  he  met 
a  wedding  procession.  At  the  head  came  the 
king  with  his  newly  made  bride,  and  behind  him 
marched  a  company  of  soldiers,  and  behind  them 
tramped  ever  and  ever  so  many  elephants,  two 
and  two,  and  two  and  two,  and  two  and  two,  and 
a  great  many  more. 

"Cat,"  said  the  happy  king,  kindly,  "turn  out 
of  the  road  a  little,  or  my  elephants  may  trample 
you  to  death." 


51 

'King/'  said  the  cat,  "you  don't  know  me. 
I've  eaten  a  basketful  of  cakes,  I've  eaten  my 
friend  the  parrot,  I've  eaten  an  old  woman,  I've 
eaten  a  miserable  man  and  his  donkey,  and  shall 
I  blush  to  eat  a  beggarly  king?  No,  surely  not." 
And  --  gullup,  gulloo  —  down  went  the  king,  down 
went  the  queen,  down  went  the  soldiers,  bayonets 
and  all,  down  went  the  elephants,  two  and  two,  and 
tw^o  and  two,  and  two  and  two. 

After  this  the  cat  walked  on  more  slowly,  for 
he  w^as  somewhat  heavy.  On  the  way  two  land- 
crabs  went  scuttling  across  the  road.  '  Run 
away,  run  away,  Pussycat,"  they  squeaked,  "  or 
we  might  nip  you." 

'Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  cat,  shaking  his 
fat  sides.  '  Ho,  ho,  ho ! ':  he  roared,  showing 
his  teeth ;  :t  you  don't  know  me.  I've  eaten  a 
basketful  of  cakes,  I've  eaten  my  friend  the  par- 
rot, I've  eaten  an  old  woman,  I've  eaten  a  miser- 
able man  and  his  donkey,  I've  eaten  a  king  and 
his  bride,  I've  eaten  a  company  of  soldiers,  I've 
eaten  a  herd  of  elephants,  two  and  two,  and  shall 
I  blush  to  eat  t\vo  silly  little  landcrabs?  Nay, 


52 

not  so.7'   And  he  pounced  upon  the  landerabs- 
gullup,  gulloo,  gullup,  gulloo,  in  two  swallows  they 
were  inside  the  cat. 

But  when  their  eyes  were  used  to  the  dark- 
ness, the  landcrabs  made  out  the  king  sitting  with 
his  head  in  his  hands,  very  unhappy.  Across  his 
knee  lay  the  newly  made  bride  in  a  dead  faint. 
Near  them  the  company  of  soldiers  were  trying 
to  form  fours.  Behind  these  the  elephants  were 
trumpeting,  the  donkey  was  braying,  the  parrot 
was  whetting  his  beak  on  his  own  claws,  and 
the  old  woman  was  scolding  the  cat  roundly.  In 
a  corner  they  made  out  a  great  pile  of  cakes. 

The  landcrabs  said,  "  His  sides  are  soft;  let's 
get  out."  Nip,  nip,  they  went,  nip,  nip,  nip. 
And  out  they  scuttled.  Then  out  walked  the 
king  with  his  bride  on  his  arm,  out  marched  the 
soldiers,  out  tramped  the  elephants,  two  and  two, 
out  went  the  man  and  his  donkey  without  any 
beating,  out  hobbled  the  old  woman,  and  out  flew 
the  parrot. 

And  the  cat  had  to  spend  a  night  and  a  day 
sewing  up  his  sides. 


53 

What  made  the  parrot  angry  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  his  anger  ? 
Why  did   the  cat  eat   the  old  woman  ?    the  donkey 
driver  ?  the  king  ?  the  crabs  ? 
How  did  they  get  out  of  the  cat  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  meager  and  fare.     Well-bred 
means  well-trained,  polite.   Explain  how  a  bird  bristles  his 
feathers.    Tell  what  is  meant  by  "  licked  his  chops."    Give 
another  word  for  scat.  Blush  here  means  to  hesitate  or  to  be 
ashamed.  Give  other  words  for  pounced,  whetting.   Scuttled 
means  ran  swiftly  or  hurriedly. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ie  =  £  in  elf  and  ie  =  1 
in  white.    What  sound  has  e  in  went  ?    In  guest,  ue  =  g. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
luscious  (lush'us)  :  delicious,  pleasant  to  taste  or  smell 
unnatural  (tin  naVu  ral)  :  different,  unlike  others 
procession  (pro  sgsh'un) :  a  train  of  persons  advancing  in 
order 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  "• 
turn  again  first  once 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


BLOCK  CITY 

ROBERT  Louis  STEVENSON 


What  are  you  able  to  build  with  yopr  blocks? 
Castles  and  palaces,  temples  and  docks. 
Rain  may  keep  raining,  and  others  go  roam, 
But  I  .can  be  happy  and  building  at  home. 


Let  the  sofa  be  mountains,  the  carpet  be  sea, 
There  I'll  establish  a  city  for  me : 
A  kirk  and  a  mill  and  a  palace  beside, 
And   a   harbor   as  well  where   my  vessels   may 
ride. 


55 

Great  is  the  palace  with  pillar  and  wall, 
A  sort  of  a  tower  on  the  top  of  it  all, 
And  steps  coming  down  in  an  orderly  way 
To  where  my  toy  vessels  lie  safe  in  the  bay. 

This  one  is  sailing  and  that  one  is  moored : 
Hark  to  the  song  of  the  sailors  on  board ! 
And  see,  on  the  steps  of  my  palace,  the  kings 
Coming  and  going  with  presents  and  things ! 

Now  I  have  done  with  it,  down  let  it  go ! 
All  in  a  moment  the  town  is  laid  low. 
Block  upon  block  lying  scattered  and  free, 
What  is  there  left  of  my  town  by  the  sea? 

Yet  as  I  saw  it,  I  see  it  again, 
The  kirk  and  the  palace,  the  ships  and  the  men, 
And  as  long  as  I  live  and  where'er  I  may  be, 
Til  always  remember  my  town  by  the  sea. 


What    did    the    little    boy    make    with    his    blocks? 
Describe  it. 

What  happened  to  the  block  city? 


56 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  "Go  roam"  means  to  go  away  from  home.    Give 
other  words  for  establish  and  moored.    The  little  boy  who 
talks  in  the  poem  is  Scottish.    He  calls  a  church  a  kirk. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  poem  where  ui  — i  in  is.    What 
sound  has  ai  in  mountain  ?   What  sound  has  ai  in  again  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

establish  (6s  tab'lish)  :  to  build 

harbor  (har'ber)  :  a  safe  place  for  vessels 

mountains  (moun'tinz)  :  masses  of  land  higher  than  hills 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
castles  coming  things  going 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 

THE  DARING  PRINCE  l 
JAMES  WHITCOMB  RILEY 

A  daring  prince, .  of  the  realm  Rangg  Dhune, 
Once  went  up  in  a  big  balloon 
That  caught  and  stuck  on  the  horns  of  the  moon, 
And  he  hung  up  there  till  next  day  noon- 
When  all  at  once  he  exclaimed,  "  Hoot-toot!  " 
And  then  came  down  in  his  parachute. 

1  From  the  Biographical  Edition  of  the  Complete  Works  of  James 
Whitcomb  Riley.  Copyright,  1913.  Used  by  special  permission  of  the  pub- 
lishers, The  Bobbs-Merrill  Company. 


THE  KEAL  PRINCESS 
HANS  CHRISTIAN  ANDERSEN 

There  was  once  a  prince  who  wanted  to  marry 
a  princess.  But  she  must  be  a  real  princess, 
mind  you.  So  he  traveled  all  round  the  world, 
seeking  such  a  one,  but  everywhere  something 
was  in  the  way.  Not  that  there  was  any  lack 
of  princesses,  but  he  could  not  seem  to  make 
out  whether  they  were  real  princesses ;  there  was 
always  something  not  quite  satisfactory.  There- 
fore, home  he  came  again,  quite  out  of  spirits, 
for  he  wished  so  much  to  marry  a  real  princess. 


58 

One  evening  a  terrible  storm  came  on.  It 
thundered  and  lightened,  and  the  rain  poured 
down;  indeed,  it  was  quite  fearful.  In  the  midst 
of  it  there  came  a  knock  at  the  town  gate,  and 
the  old  king  went  out  to  open  it. 

It  was  a  princess  who  stood  outside.  But, 
0  dear,  what  a  state  she  was  in  from  the  rain 
and  bad  weather !  The  water  dropped  from  her 
hair  and  clothes,  it  ran  in  at  the  tips  of  her 
shoes  and  out  at  the  heels;  yet  she  insisted  she 
was  a  real  princess. 

'Very  well,"  thought  the  old  queen;  "  that 
we  shall  presently  see."  She  said  nothing,  but 
went  into  the  bedchamber  and  took  off  all  the 
bedding,  then  laid  a  pea  on  the  sacking  of  the 
bedstead.  Having  done  this,  she  took  twenty 
mattresses  and  laid  them  upon  the  pea  and 
placed  twenty  eider-down  beds  on  top  of  the 
mattresses. 

The  princess  lay  upon  this  bed  all  the  night. 
In  the  morning  she  was  asked  how  she  had  slept. 

'  Oh,  most  miserably!  "  she  said.  '  I  scarcely 
closed  my  eyes  the  whole  night  through.  I 


59 

cannot  think  what  there  could  have  been  in  the 
bed.  I  lay  upon  something  so  hard  that  I  am 
quite  black  and  blue  all  over.  It  is  dreadful !  ?' 

It  was  now  quite  evident  that  she  was  a 
real  princess,  since  through  twenty  mattresses 
and  twenty  eider-down  beds  she  had  felt  the 
pea.  None  but  a  real  princess  could  have  such 
delicate  feelings. 

So  the  prince  took  her  for  his  wife,  for  he 
knew  that  in  her  he  had  found  a  true  princess. 
And  the  pea  was  kept  in  the  cabinet  of  curios- 
ities, where  it  is  still  to  be  seen  unless  some 
one  has  stolen  it. 

And  this,  mind  you,  is  a  real  story. 

What  was  the  prince  searching  for  ? 

What  trouble  did  he  have  in  finding  the  right  person  ? 

How  did  he  find  the  princess  ? 

How  did  the  queen  find  out  that  she  was  a  real  princess  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  two  words  are  used  instead  of  "  raining  hard  "  ? 
How  did  the  princess  say  she  slept  ?  What  kind  of  feelings 
is  a  person  said  to  have  who  could  feel  a  pea  through 
twenty  mattresses  and  twenty  eider-down  beds?  "Sacking 


GO 

of  the  bedstead  "  means  coarse  cloth  covering  the  bottom 
of  the  bedstead,  for  holding  the  bedding. 

2.  What  sound  has  qu  in  quite  ?    What  sound  has  er  in 
her  ?   In  world,  or  =  ur  in  urn. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
miserably  (nnz'er  a  b'li)  :  poorly 
scarcely  (skars'll)  :  hardly 
eider-down  (  I'der  doun)  :    made    of    the    down    of 'the 

eider  duck 

satisfactory  (sat  is  fak'to  ri)  :   pleasing,  right 
evident  (cVi  dent)  :  plain,  clear 
Curiosities  (ku  ii  os'i  tlz)  :   strange  or  rare  articles 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
clothes  off  twenty 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


61 


ODDS  AND  ENDS 
ANGELA  M.  KEYES 

There  was  once  upon  a  time  a  maiden  who 
was  pretty  but  very  lazy  and  wasteful.  When  a 
little  knot  came  in  the  flax  she  w^as  spinning,  she 
at  once  pulled  out  a  whole  heap  of  it  and  threw 
it  away.  Her  servant  gathered  up  the  bits  of  flax 
that  had  been  thrown  aw^ay,  cleaned  them,  spun 
them,  and  wove  them  into  a  piece  of  fine  linen. 
Out  of  this  she  made  herself  a  beautiful  dress. 

Well,  the  maiden  was  to  be  married.  On  the 
eve  of  the  wedding  the  servant  was  dancing  about 
in  the  pretty  dress  she  had  made.  The  bride  said 
to  the  bridegroom,  "  How  that  girl  jumps  about 


62 

dressed  in  my  odds  and  ends !  "  The  bridegroom 
asked  the  bride  what  she  meant.  Then  she  told 
him  that  the  servant  was  wearing  a  dress  made  of 
the  flax  she  had  thrown  away.  When  the  bride- 
groom heard  that,  he  knew  how  lazy  and  wasteful 
she  was. 

'  The  other  girl  is  the  wife  for  me/7  said  he. 
And  he  married  the  other  girl  in  the  very  dress 
she  had  made  out  of  the  odds  and  ends. 

How  did  the  man  find  out  the  right  girl  to  marry  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  is  the  ff  eve  of  the  wedding  "  ?  What  is  a  bride  ? 
a  bridegroom  ?   Can  you  think  of  any  other  stories  about 
wastefulness  ? 

2.  What  sound  has  ai  in  said?    What  sound  has  ai  in 
maiden  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

flax  (flacks)  :  a  plant  used  to  make  linen  thread,  which  is 

woven  into  cloth 

linen  (lin'gn) :  cloth  made  of  flax 
wasteful  (wast'fool)  :  careless  about  spending 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 

knew  once 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


63 


LITTLE-IN-A-MINUTE l 
CAKOLYN  SHEKWIN  BAILEY 

The  big,  yellow  Sun  smiled  down  upon  them 
and  the  Singing  Brook  hummed  pretty  little  tunes 
for  them  to  listen  to.  They  were  two  little  boys 
at  play  with  a  whole,  long,  beautiful  day  ahead. 

They  looked  almost  exactly  alike,  did  these  two 
little  boys.  Bobby  wore  a  wide-brimmed  sun  hat 
with  a  blue  band  around  it,  and  Dicky  wore  a 
wide-brimmed  sun  hat  with  a  red  band  around  it. 

1  By  special  permission  of  the  publishers,  Milton  Bradley  Company. 


64 

Bobby  wore  a  brown  linen  sailor  suit  with  blue 
anchors  on  the  collar  and  Dicky  wore  a  brown 
linen  sailor  suit  with  red  anchors  on  the  collar. 
Bobby  had  a  beautiful  toy  ship  to  play  with, 
and  Dicky  had  a  beautiful  ship,  too.  As  for  the 
ships,  they  looked  just  exactly  alike.  Each  beau- 
tiful toy  ship  was  painted  white  and  green,  and 
each  had  a  big  w^hite  sail  as  wide  and  pretty 
as  a  dove's  wing,  and  each  had  a  strong  little 
rudder  painted  red. 

Bobby  and  Dicky  had  made  a  make-believe 
wharf  in  the  Singing  Brook  of  sticks  and  stones 
and  black  mud.  There,  anchored  at  the  wharf, 
lay  the  two  beautiful  toy  boats,  their  white  sails 
flapping  and  fat  with  wind.  When  their  strings 
were  loosed  from  the  wharf,  the  Whispering  Wind 
would  carry  the  two  little  boats  'way,  'way  down 
the  Singing  Brook  to  another  little  make-believe 
wharf  made  of  sticks  and  stones  and  black  mud 
that  Bobby  and  Dicky  had  made  farther  on. 

So  the  Sun  smiled  down  more  happily,  and  the 
Singing  Brook  sang  a  merrier  tune  than  the  last 
one,  and  Bobby  and  Dicky  began  to  play. 


66 

:'  I  am  going  to  load  iny  boat  with  little  green 
apples,  Dicky,"  said  Bobby.  'Perhaps  the  Old 
Chipmunk  who  lives  at  the  foot  of  the  Pine  Tree 
will  go  aboard  and  unload  them." 

Bobby  began  gathering  small  green  apples  as 
fast  as  he  could  and  putting  them  on  the  deck  of 
his  little  ship,  but  Dicky  sat  on  the  bank  of  the 
Singing  Brook,  doing  nothing  and  only  watching. 

'  When  are  you  going  to  load  your  ship, 
Dicky?"  Bobby  asked,  as  he  put  in  the  last 
apples. 

'  In  a  minute,"  Dicky  answered,  but  before  the 
minute  had  gone,  Bobby's  ship,  its  white  sail 
flying,  had  started  down  the  Singing  Brook  to  the 
other  wharf.  Dicky  jumped  up  and  loosed  his 
boat  from  its  moorings,  but  it  was  very  far  behind 
Bobby's  all  the  way.  The  two  little  boys  hurried 
softly  between  the  willow  trees  that  stood  along 
the  edge  of  the  Singing  Brook.  As  they  came  to 
the  other  make-believe  wharf  they  saw  the  Old 
Chipmunk  creep  out  of  his  house  at  the  foot  of 
the  Pine  Tree  and  go  out  on  the  wharf  to  wait 
for  the  little  ship  to  come  in.  When  it  came,  he 


67 

unloaded  all  the  cargo  of  apples  and  carried  them 
over  to  his  cellar.  But  when  Dicky's  ship  came 
in,  so  late  and  so  empty,  the  Old  Chipmunk  did 
nothing  but  smell  of  it.  Then  he  sat  on  the  end 
of  the  make-believe  wharf  in  the  sunshine  and 
basked  and  did  not  even  look  at  Dicky's  ship 
again. 

'  I  have  thought  of  something  very  nice  to  do, 
now,"  said  Bobby,  as  the  two  little  boys  carried 
their  ships  back  again.  '  We  will  play  that  the 
flowers  are  children  and  we  will  give  them  a  ride 
in  our  ships." 

'Yes,  w^e  will!  "  agreed  Dicky. 

So  Bobby  picked  many  little  flower  children,  — 
clovers  in  pink  bonnets  and  buttercups  in  wide 
yellow  hats  and  daisies  in  gold  bonnets  with  white 
strings,  and  he  put  them  all  carefully  aboard  his 
ship.  But  Dicky  only  stood  by  in  the  grass  and 
watched. 

'  When  are  you  going  to  fill  your  boat  with 
flowers,  Dicky?"  Bobby  asked,  as  he  helped  the 
last  flower  child  aboard. 

"  In  a  minute,"  Dicky  answered,  but  just  then 


68 

down  the  Singing  Brook  came  the  Whispering 
Wind.  It  filled  the  little  white  sails  and  away 
sailed  the  two  little  ships,  the  flower  children 
aboard  Bobby's  ship  fluttering  and  dancing  with 
the  joy  of  having  a  boat  ride. 

The  two  little  boys  raced  along  the  bank  to 
watch,  and  they  saw  a  wonderful  thing  happen. 
All  the  way  down  the  Singing  Brook,  pretty 
passengers  joined  the  flower  children  on  board 
Bobby's  ship.  A  golden  butterfly  fluttered  down  to 
the  deck  with  his  yellow  and  black  wings,  kissing 
the  clovers  beneath  their  pink  bonnets.  A  shiny 
black  bumblebee  tumbled  down  to  the  deck  with 
his  gold  gossamer  wings  and  began  to  drone  sum- 
mer stories  to  the  buttercups.  A  silver  dragon  fly 
darted  down  to  the  ship  with  his  rainbow-tinted 
wings  to  mend  the  white  strings  of  the  daisies7 
caps  which  had  been  torn  by  the  frolicsome 
Whispering  Wind.  When  Bobby's  ship  reached 
the  other  wharf  it  looked  like  an  excursion  boat, 
but,  ah,  Dicky's  ship  was  quite  empty.  There  had 
been  no  flower  children  on  board  to  call  the 
butterflies,  the  bumblebees,  and  the  dragon  flies. 


69 

'I  know  the  nicest  play  of  all,  now/'  said 
Bobby,  after  he  had  helped  the  flower  children 
from  his  ship  and  put  their  feet  in  the  Singing 
Brook  that  they  might  wade  there  all  the  rest  of 
the  day  and  keep  cool  and  fresh  and  sweet. 

'  We  will  take  our  ships  back,  Dicky,  and  have 


a  race.73 


"  Oh,  that  will  be  nice!  "  answered  Dicky.  So 
the  two  little  boys  carried  the  two  ships  back  and 
launched  them,  side  by  side,  in  the  Singing  Brook. 

'  One  —  two-  began  Bobby,  but  before  he 
said  "three"  he  heard  their  mother's  voice  floating 
over  the  fields  and  as  far  as  their  playground. 

'  Bobby,  Dicky,  come  home,"  their  mother 
called.  "  Come  home,  boys,  dinner  is  ready." 

'I'm  coming,  mother,"  Bobby  called  back, 
putting  his  hand  to  his  mouth  to  make  a  horn. 
Then  he  turned  to  Dicky,  who  still  bent  low  over 
the  bank  of  the  Singing  Brook  and  still  held  in 
his  hand  the  string  that  was  tied  to  the  rudder  of 
his  ship. 

*  In  a  minute,"  Dicky  answered.  Bobby  ran  off 
over  the  fields,  and  soon  he  was  out  of  sight.  He 


70 

knew  that  there  were  fat  w^hite  potatoes  and  yel- 
low chicken  meat  and  red  cherry  dumplings  for 
dinner.  Now  they  were  hot,  but  they  would  be 
cold  if  he  did  not  hurry. 

Down  by  the  Singing  Brook  Dicky  wraited  to 
launch  his  ship  once  more.  The  Whispering  Wind 
filled  the  sail  a  third  time,  and  away  sailed  the 
beautiful  little  toy  ship,  so  pretty  with  its  green 
and  white  paint  and  its  rudder  that  was  painted 
red.  Dicky  ran  along  beside  it,  to  see  how  fast  it 
sailed.  Faster  and  faster  sailed  Dicky's  ship.  It 
did  not  stop  when  it  came  to  the  Pine  Tree,  where 
the  Old  Chipmunk  w^as  busy  in  his  cellar  sorting 
out  his  apples.  It  did  not  stop  when  it  came  to 
the  Wading  Pool,  where  all  the  flower  children 
stood,  keeping  cool  and  fresh  and  sweet.  On  and 
on  sailed  the  little  ship,  for  the  Whispering  Wind 
was  taking  it  a  long,  long  way  off  to  the  place 
where  the  Singing  Brook  loses  itself  in  the  Eiver 
and  the  Eiver  goes  on  down  to  the  Sea. 

"  Come  back  !  Oh,  do  come  back !  "  called  Dicky 
to  the  little  ship,  but  the  ship  only  sailed  the 
faster. 


71 

'  Please  come  back !  "  cried  Dicky,  as  his  beau- 
tiful ship  sailed  out  of  sight. 

"  In  a  minute,"  the  Whispering  Wind  called  back. 

But  the  little  ship  never  came  back.  So 
Dicky  went  slowly  across  the  field  and  home  to 
dinner,  but  when  he  reached  home,  what  do  you 
think  had  happened  ? 

The  fat  white  potatoes,  the  yellow  chicken  meat, 
and  the  red  cherry  dumplings  were  cold. 

Describe  the  play  of  Bobby  and  Dicky. 

How  were  the  two  boys  different  in  their  play  ? 

Which  one  had  the  more  fun  ?   Why  ? 

HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  Give    other  words    for   exactly,  fluttering.    Basked 
means  lay  in  the  warm    sun ;    drone,   to  make    a    low, 
humming   sound ;     "  sorting    out,"    separating   the    good 
from  the  bad.    Write  a  composition  on  "  What  I  Missed 
by  Being  Late." 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  o  in  nothing,  something,  mother, 
come.     Find    other  words   in   the    story   that   have   the 
sound  of  u. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
excursion  (Sks  kuVshun)  :  a  pleasure  trip 
rudder  (rud'er)  :  a  flat  piece  of  wood  or  metal,  by  which 
a  ship  is  turned 


72 

moorings  (mbor'ingz)  :  ropes,  chains,  or  anchors  to  keep 

a  vessel  in  its  place 
passengers  (paVen  jers)  :  travelers 
gossamer  (gos'a  mer) :  fine  and  thin  like  a  veil 
frolicsome  (frol'ik  sum)  :  playful 
launched  (loncht) :  set  afloat 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377 : 
dumplings          perhaps          singing          willow  only 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


AN  EASY  WAY  TO  LEARN  TO  READ 
OLIVER  GOLDSMITH 

An  ignorant  countryman  made  his  first  visit 
to  a  city.  He  noticed  the  large  buildings  and 
shops  and  the  crowds  of  people.  Many  of  the 
people  were  reading  their  newspapers,  and  our 
countryman  observed  that  most  of  the  readers 
wore  glasses. 

Soon  he  saw,  in  a  shop  window,  glasses  and 
other  optical  instruments.  He  went  in  and  asked 
for  glasses  for  reading. 

The  countryman  held  a  book  while  the  opti- 
cian handed  him  pair  after  pair  of  glasses.  After 
each  trial  he  said,  "  No,  I  cannot  read." 


73 

Finally  the  optician,  becoming  tired  of  trying 
so  many  pairs  of  glasses,  said  to  his  customer, 
'Do  you  know  how  to  read?" 

'  What  a  question  !  "  said  the  countryman.  *  If 
1  knew  how  to  read,  why  should  I  want  to  buy 
glasses  for  reading?"  -Adapted 

Why  did  the  countryman  want  glasses  ? 
Why  did  the  glasses  do  him  no  good  ? 
Was  the  countryman  fooling  the  optician  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  is  an  optician?    Have  you  ever  been  to  one? 
Tell  some  of  the  things  he  did.    Tell  about  some  of  the 
optical  instruments  you  saw  in  the  window. 

2.  What  sound  has  ci  in  optician?    What  sound  has  ei 
in  their  ?   In  pair,  ai  =  a  in  care. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 

noticed  (no'tist)  :  saw,  noted 

newspapers   (nuz'paperz)  :    papers  printed  daily  to  tell 
what  is  happening 

Optician  (5p  tish'an)  :  one  who  makes  or  sells  glasses 

customer  (ktis'tum  er)  :  a  tradesman,  a  buyer 

finally  (fl'nal  i)  :  lastly 
Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  : 

glasses  saw 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


74 


THE  CONJURER  AND  THE  TAILOR 

OLIVER  GOLDSMITH 

A  conjurer  and  a  tailor  once  happened  to  be 
talking  together.  "Alas,"  cried  the  tailor,  "  what 
an  unhappy  creature  am  I !  If  people  should  ever 
take  it  in  their  heads  to  live  without  clothes, 
I  am  undone ;  I  have  no  other  trade  to  turn  to." 

'  Indeed,  friend,  I  pity  you,"  replied  the  con- 
jurer; :'but,  thank  Heaven,  things  are  not  quite 


75 

so  bad  with  me ;  for  if  one  trick  should  fail,  1 
have  a  hundred  tricks  left.  However,  if  at  any 
time  you  are  reduced  to  beggary,  come  to  me, 
and  I  will  help  you.77 

A  famine  spread  over  the  land ;  the  tailor 
managed  to  live,  because  his  customers  could 
not  be  without  clothes;  but  the  poor  conjurer, 
with  all  his  hundred  tricks,  could  find  none  that 
had  money  to  throw  away ;  it  Avas  in  vain  that 
he  promised  to  eat  fire  or  to  swallow  pins;  not 
a  single  creature  would  help  him,  till  he  was  at 
last  obliged  to  beg  from  the  very  tailor  whose 
calling  he  had  despised.  —  Adapted 

What  worried  the  tailor  ? 

Why  did  the  conjurer  not  worry  ? 

Which  one  was  really  better  off  ?    Why  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Read  ^Esop's  fable  of  "  The  Cat  and-  the  Fox."  Con- 
jurer means  a  magician,  a  juggler,  a  man  who  does  tricks  ; 
undone,  ruined  ;  '  'reduced  to  beggary,"  made  poor ;  famine, 
lack  of  food,  starvation  ;  "in  vain,"  of  no  use  ;  "  calling  he 
had  despised,"  trade  he  had  looked  down  upon. 


76 


LITTLE  DICK  AND  THE  CLOCK1 
JAMES  WHITCOMB  RILEY 

When  Dicky  was  sick 

In  the  night,  and  the  clock, 
As  he  listened,  said  "  Tick- 

Atty-tick-atty-tock ! " 
He  said  that  it  said, 

Every  time  it  said  "Tick," 
It  said  "Sick,"  instead, 

And  he  heard  it  say  "  Sick ! 
And  when  it  said  ' '  Tick- 

Atty-tick-atty-tock  " 
He  said  it  said  "  Sick- 

Atty-sick-atty-sock ! '; 
And  he  tried  to  see  then, 

But  the  light  was  too  dim, 
Yet  he  heard  it  again  - 

And  'twas  talkiitij  to  him ! 


1  From  the  Biographical  Edition  of  the  Complete  Works  of  James 
Whitcomb  Riley.  Copyright,  1913.  Used  by  special  "permission  of  the 
publishers,  The  Bobbs-Merrill  Company. 


77 

Arid  then  it  said  "  Sick- 

Atty-sick-atty-sick ! 
You  poor  little  Dick- 

Atty-Dick-atty-Dick !  - 
Have  you  got  the  hick- 

Atties  ?     Hi !   send  for  Doc 
To  hurry  up  quick- 

Atty-quick-atty-quock, 
And  heat  a  hot  brick- 

Atty-brick-atty-brock, 
And  rikle-ty  .wrap  it 
And  clickle-ty  clap  it 

Against  his  cold  feet- 

Al-ty-weep-aty-eepaty  - 
There  he  goes,  slapit- 

Ty-slippaty-sleepaty !  " 

How  does  a  clock  talk  ? 

What  does  it  say  ? 

What  did  it  seem  to  say  to  Dick  ? 


78 


LITTLE  ANKLEBONE1 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  boy  who 
had  lost  his  parents ;  so  he  went  to  live  with  his 
auntie,  and  she  set  him  to  herd  the  sheep.  All 
day  long  the  little  fellow  wandered  barefoot 
through  the  pathless  plain,  tending  his  Hock 
and  playing  his  tiny  shepherd's  pipe  from  morn 
till  eve. 

But  one  day  came  a  great  big  wolf  and  looked 

1  From  Flora  Annie  Steele's  "  Tales  of  the  Punjab."  Used  by  permis- 
sion of  The  Macniillan  Company,  publishers. 


79 

hungrily  at  the  small  shepherd  and  his  fat  sheep, 
saying,  "  Little  boy!  shall  I  eat  you  or  your 
sheep?  " 

Then  the  little  boy  answered  politely,  "  I  don't 
know,  Mr.  Wolf!  I  must  ask  my  auntie.7' 

So  all  day  long  he  piped  away  on  his  tiny 
pipe,  and  in  the  evening,  when  he  brought  the 
llock  home,  he  went  to  his  auntie  and  said : 
"Auntie  dear,  a  great  big  wolf  asked  me  today 
if  he  should  eat  me  or  your  sheep.  Which  shall 
it  be?" 

Then  his  auntie  looked  at  the  wee  little  shep- 
herd, and  at  the  fat  flock,  and  said  sharply : 
*  Which  shall  it  be?  Why,  you,  of  course!'1 

So  next  morning  the  little  boy  drove  his  flock 
out  into  the  pathless  plain  and  blew  away  cheer- 
fully on  his  shepherd's  pipe  until  the  great  big 
wolf  appeared.  Then  he  laid  aside  his  pipe  and, 
going  up  to  the  savage  beast,  said,  "  Oh,  if  you 
please,  Mr.  Wolf,  I  asked  my  auntie,  and  she 
says  you  are  to  eat  me." 

Now  the  wolf,  savage  as  wolves  always  are, 
could  not  help  having  just  a  spark  of  pity  for 


80 

the  tiny  barefoot  shepherd  who  played  his  pipe 
so  sweetly.  Therefore  he  said  kindly,  "  Could  I 
do  anything  for  you,  little  boy,  after  I've  eaten 
you?7' 

'  Thank  you,"  returned  the  tiny  shepherd.  'If 
you  would  be  so  kind,  after  you've  picked  the 
bones,  as  to  thread  my  anklebone  on  a  string 
and  hang  it  on  the  tree  that  weeps  over  the 
pond  yonder,  I  shall  be  much  obliged." 

So  the  wolf  ate  the  shepherd,  picked  the  bones, 
and  afterwards,  hung  the  anklebone  by  a  string 
to  the  branches  of  the  tree,  where  it  danced  and 
swung  in  the  sunlight. 

Now,  one  day,  three  robbers,  who  had  just 
robbed  a  palace,  happening  to  pass  that  way,  sat 
down  under  the  tree  and  began  to  divide  the 
spoil.  Just  as  they  had  arranged  all  the  golden 
dishes  and  precious  jewels  and  costly  stuffs  into 
three  heaps,  a  jackal  howled.  Now  you  must 
know  that  thieves  always  use  the  jackal's  cry 
as  a  note  of  warning,  so  that  when,  at  that  very 
moment,  Little  Anklebone's  thread  snapped  and 
he  fell  plump  on  the  head  of  the  chief  robber,  the 


81 

man  imagined  some  one  had  thrown  a  pebble  at 
him,  and,  shouting  "Run!  run!  we  are  discov- 
ered !  "  he  bolted  away  as  hard  as  he  could,  fol- 
lowed by  his  companions,  leaving  all  the  treasure 
behind  them. 

:'Now,"  said  Little  Anklebone  to  himself,  "1 
shall  lead  a  tine  life !  r> 

So  he  gathered  the  treasure  together  and  sat 
under  the  tree  that  drooped  over  the  pond,  and 
played  so  sweetly  on  a  new  shepherd's  pipe  that 
all  the  beasts  of  the  forests  and  the  birds  of  the 
air  and  the  fishes  of  the  pond  came  to  listen  to 
him.  Then  Little  Anklebone  put  marble  basins 
round  the  pond  for  the  animals  to  drink  out  of, 
and  in  the  evening  the  does  and  the  tigresses 
and  the  she-wolves  gathered  round  him  to  be 
milked,  and  when  he  had  drunk  his  fill  he  milked 
the  rest  into  the  pond,  till  at  last  it  became  a 
pond  of  milk.  And  Little  Anklebone  sat  by  the 
milken  pond  and  piped  away  on  his  shepherd's 
pipe. 

Now,  one  day,  an  old  woman,  passing  by  with 
her  jar  for  water,  heard  the  sweet  strains  of  Little 


83 

Anklebone's  pipe,  and,  following  the  sound,  came 
upon  the  pond  of  milk,  and  saw  the  animals 
and  the  birds  and  the  fishes,  listening  to  the 
music.  She  was  wonderstruck,  especially  when 
Little  Anklebone,  from  his  seat  under  the  tree, 
called  out,  '  Fill  your  jar,  mother !  All  drink 
who  come  hither !  r> 

Then  the  old  woman  filled  her  jar  with  milk, 
and  went  on  her  way  rejoicing  at  her  good  for- 
tune. But  as  she  journeyed  on  she  met  the 
king  of  that  country,  who,  having  been  a-hunting, 
had  lost  his  way  in  the  pathless  plain. 

"  Give  me  a  drink  of  water,  good  mother/'  he 
cried,  seeing  the  jar ;  "  I  am  half  dead  with  thirst !" 

'  It  is  milk,  my  son/'  replied  the  old  woman. 
*  I  got  it  yonder  from  a  milken  pond."  Then  she 
told  the  king  of  the  wonders  she  had  seen,  so 
that  he  resolved  to  have  a  peep  at  them  himself. 
And  when  he  saw  the  milken  pond  and  all  the 
animals  and  birds  and  fishes  gathered  round, 
while  Little  Anklebone  played  ever  so  sweetly 
on  his  shepherd's  pipe,  he  said,  '  I  must  have 
the  tiny  piper,  if  I  die  for  it!  " 


84 

No  sooner  did  Little  Anklebonc  hear  these 
words  than  he  set  off  at  a  run  and  the  king- 
after  him.  Never  was  there  such  a  chase  before 
or  since,  for  Little  Anklebone  hid  himself  amid 
the  thickest  briers  and  thorns,  and  the  king  was 
so  determined  to  have  the  tiny  piper,  that  he  did 
not  care  for  scratches.  At  last  the  king  was  suc- 
cessful, but  no  sooner  did  he  take  hold  of  Little 
Anklebone  than  the  clouds  above  began  to  thun- 
der and  lighten  horribly,  and  from  below  came 
the  lowing  of  many  does,  and  louder  than  all 
came  the  voice  of  the  little  piper  himself  singing 
these  words : 

0  clouds  !  why  should  you  storm  and  flare  ? 

Poor  Anklebone  is  forced  to  roam. 
0  does !   why  wait  the  milker's  care  ? 

Poor  Anklebone  must  leave  his  home. 

And  he  sang  so  piercingly  sweet  that  pity  filled 
the  king's  heart,  especially  when  he  saw  it  was 
nothing  but  a  bone  after  all.  So  he  let  it  go 
again,  and  the  little  piper  went  back  to  his  seat 
under  the  tree  by  the  pond.  And  there  he  sits 


85 

to  this  day,  and  plays  his  shepherd's  pipe,  while 
all  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  and  the  birds  of  the 
air,  and  the  fishes  of  the  pond  gather  round  to 
listen  to  his  music.  And  sometimes  people  wan- 
dering through  the  pathless  plain  hear  the  pipe, 
and  then  they  say,  '  That  is  Little  Anklebone, 
who  was  eaten  by  a  wolf  ages  ago !  r> 

What  choice  did  the  wolf  offer  the  little  boy  ? 

What  was  the  boy's  answer? 

How  did  the  little  boy  fulfill  his  part  of  the  bargain  ? 

Why  did  the  wolf  not  eat  the  sheep  ? 

What  favor  did  the  boy  ask  of  the  wolf  ? 

How  were  the  robbers  frightened  away  ? 

What  is  the  rest  of  the  story  of  Little  Anklebone  ? 


86 


SEEDS 
AILEEN  CLEVELAND  HIGOINS 

The  seeds  I  cuddle  in  my  hands  are  Dreams  - 
The  waiting  earth  and  dew, 
The  wind  and  rain,  the  sun  with  magic  beams 
Will  make  them  all  come  true. 

Why  are  seeds  called  dreams  ? 

How  will  the  dreams  come  true  ? 

Why  are  the  sun's  rays  called  magic  beams  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Did  you  ever  help  to  make  seed  dreams  come  true  ? 
Tell  how.  To  cuddle  means  to  hold  close.  What  are 
"  magic  beams  "  ? 

The  secret  is  deeper  than  we  can  read : 

But  we  gather  the  grain  if  we  sow  the  seed. 

LUCY  LARCOM 


87 


THE  POMEGRANATE  SEEDS 
NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE 

Mother  Ceres  was  very  fond  of  her  daughter 
Proserpina  and  very  careful  of  her.  Seldom  did 
she  let  her  go  alone  into  the  fields,  but  just  at 
this  time  when  my  story  begins  the  good  lady 
was  very  busy  ripening  the  wheat,  Indian  corn, 
rye,  and  barley.  So  she  put  on  her  turban  made 
of  poppies  and  stepped  into  her  car  drawn  by 
a  pair  of  winged  dragons  and  was  just  ready  to 
set  off. 

?  Dear  mother,"  called  Proserpina,  "  may  I  not 
run  down  to  the  shore  to  play  with  the  sea 
nymphs?  I  shall  be  so  lonely  without  you." 

'Yes,  child,"  answered  Mother  Ceres,  "but 
take  care  not  to  stray  away  from  them  into 
the  fields.  Children  are  apt  to  get  into  mischief 
without  their  mothers." 

The  child  promised,  and  by  the  time  the 
winged  dragons  had  whirled  the  car  out  of  sight 
she  was  already  on  the  shore,  calling  to  the  sea 


88 

nymphs  to  come  and  play  with  her.  They  knew 
her  voice  and  were  not  long  in  showing  their 
glistening  faces  and  sea-green  hair  above  the 
water,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  their  home. 
They  brought  along  with  them  many  beautiful 
shells  to  make  a  necklace,  which  they  hung 
round  Proserpina's  neck.  Then  Proserpina  asked 
them  to  go  with  her  to  gather  flowers. 

"  Oh,  no,  dear  Proserpina,"  cried  the  sea  nymphs, 
:'  we  dare  not  go  with  you  upon  dry  land.  We 
must  breathe  the  salt  air  of  the  ocean.  And 
don't  you  see  how  careful  we  are  to  let  the 
waves  break  over  us  every  moment?  If  it  were 
not  for  that,  we  should  soon  look  like  bunches 
of  seaweed  dried  in  the  sun." 

'But  do  you  wait  for  me  here,  then,"  said 
Proserpina,  "  and  I  will  run  and  fill  my  apron 
with  flowers.  I  wish  to  make  you  some  wreaths 
that  shall  be  as  lovely  as  this  necklace  of 
shells." 

'  We  will  wait,"  answered  the  sea  nymphs, 
:'but  while  you  are  gone  we  may  as  well  lie 
down  on  a  bank  of  soft  sponge  under  water.  But 


89 

we  will  pop  up  our  heads  every  few  minutes 
to  see  if  you  are  coming." 

Proserpina  ran  to  a  spot  where  she  had  seen 
a  great  many  flowers.  She  filled  her  apron  with 
them  and  started  back.  But,  a  little  farther  on, 
she  saw  a  large  shrub  covered  with  the  most 
beautiful  flowers  in  the  world.  She  ran  to  it, 
and  the  nearer  she  came  to  it  the  more  beau- 
tiful it  looked.  It  bore  a  hundred  flowers  of 
the  most  brilliant  colors. 

'  It  is  really  the  most  beautiful  shrub  that 
ever  sprang  out  of  the  earth,"  said  she.  'I  will 
pull  it  up  by  the  roots  and  carry  it  home  and 
plant  it  in  my  mother's  garden." 

Holding  up  her  apron  full  of  flowers  with 
her  left  hand,  Proserpina  seized  the  large  shrub 
with  the  other  and  pulled  and  pulled.  Soon  the 
earth  began  to  stir  and  cra^ck  around  the  stem. 
She  gave  another  pull  and  up  came  the  shrub. 
Proserpina  stood  holding  the  stem  in  her  hand 
and  gazing  at  the  deep  hole  which  its  roots  had 
left  in  the  soil. 

Much    to    her    astonishment    this    hole    kept 


90 

spreading  wider  and  wider,  and  growing  deeper 
and  deeper,  until  it  really  seemed  to  have  no 
bottom.  All  the  w^hile  there  came  a  rumbling 
noise  out  of  its  depths.  It  grew  louder  and 
louder,  and  nearer  and  nearer,  and  sounded 
like  the  tramp  of  horses'  hoofs  and  the  rat- 
tling of  wheels.  Soon  she  saw  a  team  of  four 
black  horses  tearing  their  way  out  of  the  earth 
with  a  golden  chariot  whirling  at  their  heels. 
They  leaped  out  of  the  hole,  chariot  and  all. 
There  they  were,  tossing  their  black  manes  and 
switching  their  black  tails,  close  by  the  spot 
where  Proserpina  stood. 

In  the  chariot  sat  the  figure  of  a  man  richly 
dressed,  with  a  crown  on  his  head,  all  flaming 
with  diamonds.  He  looked  sullen  and  kept  rub- 
bing his  eyes  and  shading  them  with  his  hand, 
as  if  he  did  not  live  enough  in  the  sunshine 
to  be  fond  of  its  light.  As  soon  as  he  saw 
Proserpina  he  beckoned  her  to  come  a  little 
nearer. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,"  said  he,  with  as  cheer- 
ful a  smile  as  he  knew  how  to  put  on.  "  Come ! 


92 

Should  you  not  like  to  ride  a  little  way  with  me 
in  my  beautiful  chariot?" 

But  Proserpina  was  so  alarmed  that  she  cried 
''Mother!  Mother  Ceres!"  all  in  a  tremble, 
"  come  quickly  and  save  me !  "  But  Ceres  was 
then  a  thousand  miles  off,  making  the  corn 
grow  in  some  distant  country. 

No  sooner  did  Proserpina  begin  to  cry  out 
than  the  stranger  leaped  to  the  ground,  caught 
the  child  in  his  arms,  mounted  the  chariot,  and 
shouted  to  the  four  black  horses  to  set  off.  They 
broke  into  so  swift  a  gallop  that  it  seemed  more 
like  flying  through  the  air  than  running  along  the 
earth.  In  a  moment  Proserpina  lost  sight  of  the 
pleasant  valley  in  which  she  had  always  dwelt. 
The  poor  child  screamed  and  scattered  her  flowers 
along  the  way. 

'Why  should  you  be  so  frightened?"  asked 
the  stranger,  trying  to  soften  his  rough  voice. 
'I  promise  not  to  do  you  any  harm.  What! 
you  have  been  gathering  flowers?  Wait  till  we 
come  to  my  palace  and  I  will  give  you  a  garden 
full  of  flowers  all  made  of  diamonds,  pearls, 


93 

and  rubies.  My  name  is  Pluto.  I  am  the  king 
of  diamonds  and  .all  other  precious  stones.  All 
the  gold  and  silver  that  lie  under  the  earth 
belong  to  me  and  all  the  copper  and  iron,  and 
all  the  coal  mines  belong  to  me.  Do  you  see 
this  splendid  crown  upon  my  head?  You  may 
have  it  for  a  plaything." 

'  Let  me  go  home  !  "  cried  Proserpina,  '  Let 
me  go  home  !  " 

:>  My  home  is  better  than  your  mother's/' 
answered  King  Pluto.  '  It  is  a  palace  all  made 
of  gold,  with  crystal  windows  and  diamond 
lamps.  If  you  like,  you  may  be  my  queen." 

'  I  don't  care  for  golden  palaces  and  thrones," 
sobbed  Proserpina.  "Oh,  mother!  mother!  Carry 
me  back  to  my  mother!" 

But  King  Pluto  only  shouted  to  his  horses 
to  go  faster. 

She  might  just  as  well  have  talked  to  the 
wind  that  whistled  past  them,  for  Pluto  urged 
on  his  horses  and  w^ent  faster  than  ever.  The 
black  horses  had  rushed  along  so  swiftly  that 
they  were  soon  out  of  the  sunshine. 


94 

"  This  twilight  is  good,"  said  King  Pluto, 
"  after  that  ugly  glare  of  the  sun.  My  palace 
is  lighted  with  diamond  lamps.  You  will  like 
it  when  we  get  there." 

'  Is  it  much  farther?"  asked  Proserpina. 
"  And  will  you  carry  me  back  when  I  have 
seen  it?"  • 

'  We  will  talk  of  that  by  and  by,"  answered 
Pluto.  '  Do  you  see  that  tall  gateway  before 
us?  When  we  pass  those  gates  we  are  at  home. 
And  there  lies  my  faithful  mastiff  at  the  thresh- 
old. Cerberus !  Cerberus !  Come  hither,  my 
good  dog! '' 

So  saying,  Pluto  pulled  at  the  reins  and 
stopped  the  chariot  right  between  the  tall  pillars 
of  the  gateway.  The  mastiff  got  up,  stood  on 
his  hind  legs,  and  put  his  forepaws  on  the 
chariot  wheel.  He  was  a  big,  ugly-looking  monster. 
He  had  three  heads,  each  of  them  fiercer  than 
the  two  others;  but,  fierce  as  they  were,  King 
Pluto  patted  them  all.  He  seemed  fond  of  his 
three-headed  dog.  Cerberus  was  glad  to  see  his 
master,  and  showed  it  by  wagging  his  tail  at  a 


95 

great  rate.  Proserpina  saw  that  this  tail  was  a 
live  dragon  with  fiery  eyes  and  poisonous  fangs. 

'  Will  the  dog  bite  me?7'  asked  Proserpina. 
'  What  an  ugly  creature  he  is !  r' 

"  Oh,  never  fear/7  answered  her  companion, 
:'  he  never  harms  people  unless  they  try  to  enter 
my  kingdom  without  being  sent  for,  or  try  to 
get  away  when  I  wish  to  keep  them  here. 
Down,  Cerberus !  Now,  my  pretty  Proserpina, 
we  will  drive  on." 

On  went  the  chariot,  and  King  Pluto  seemed 
greatly  pleased  to  find  himself  once  more  in  his 
own  kingdom.  Not  far  from  the  gateway  they 
came  to  a  bridge,  which  seemed  to  be  built  of 
iron.  Pluto  stopped  the  chariot  and  bade  Pro- 
serpina look  at  the  stream  which  was  gliding 
so  lazily  beneath  it. 

"This  is  the  river  Lethe,"  said  Pluto.  "  Only 
sip  a  little  of  it  and  you  will  stop  grieving  for 
your  mother.  I  will  send  for  some  in  a  golden 
goblet." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no !  "  cried  Proserpina,  weep- 
ing afresh,  "  I  had  a  thousand  times  rather  be 


96 

miserable  with  remembering  my  mother  than  be 
happy  in  forgetting  her.  Dear  mother!  I  never, 
never  will  forget  her." 

"We  shall  see,"  said  King  Pluto.  "You  do 
not  know  what  tine  times  we  shall  have  in  my 
palace.  Here  we  are,  just  at  the  portal."  He 
alighted  from  his  chariot  and,  taking  Proserpina 
in  his  arms,  carried  her  up  a  flight  of  steps 
into  the  great  hall  of  the  palace. 

Pluto  now  called  his  servant  and  told  him  to 
prepare  a  feast,  and  to  set  a  golden  goblet  of 
the  water  of  Lethe  by  Proserpina's  plate. 

'I  will  drink  neither  that  nor  anything  else," 
said  Proserpina,  '  nor  will  I  taste  a  morsel 
of  food,  even  if  you  keep  me  forever  in  your 
palace." 

'I  should  be  sorry  for  that,"  replied  King 
Pluto,  "  but,  when  you  see  the  nice  things  which 
my  cook  will  make  for  you,  your  appetite  will 
quickly  come  again." 

Now  Ceres  had  been  half  hidden  among  the  wav- 
ing grain  while  the  four  black  horses  were  whirl- 
ing along  with  the  chariot  in  which  Proserpina, 


97 

was  carried  away.  She  had  mistaken  the  rumb- 
ling of  the  chariot  wheels  for  thunder,  and 
had  thought  that  a  shower  was  coming  up. 
But  at  the  sound  of  Proserpina's  shriek  she 
started  and  looked  about  her,  feeling  almost 
certain  that  it  was  her  daughter's  voice.  She 
quickly  left  the  field  in  which  she  had  been  so 
busy,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  had  alighted  at 
the  door  of  her  home  and  found  it  empty. 

She  hurried  to  the  seashore  as  fast  as  she 
could,  and  saw  the  wet  faces  of  the  poor  sea 
nymphs  peeping  over  the  wave.  All  this  while 
they  had  been  waiting  on  the  sponge  bank. 
Once  every  half  minute  they  had  popped  up  their 
heads  above  the  water  to  look  for  their  play- 
mate. When  they  saw  Ceres  they  sat  down  on 
the  crest  of  the  wave  and  let  it  toss  them 
ashore  at  her  feet. 

'Where  is  Proserpina?"  cried  Ceres. 

'  Proserpina  has  been  at  play  with  us,  but 
she  left  us  a  long  while  ago  to  gather  some 
Howers  for  a  wreath.  That  was  early  in  the 
day,  and  we  have  seen  nothing  of  her  since." 


98 

Ceres  hurried  off  to  tind  Proserpina,  but 
nobody  knew  what  had  become  of  her.  A  Usher- 
man,  it  is  true,  had  noticed  her  little  footprints 
in  the  sand  as  he  went  homeward  along  the 
beach  with  a  basket  of  fish.  A  peasant  had 
seen  her  stooping  to  gather  flowers.  Several 
persons  had  heard  the  rattling  of  chariot  wheels. 
And  one  old  woman  had  heard  a  scream,  but 
thought  it  wTas  some  childish  nonsense. 

It  was  now  dark,  so  Ceres  lighted  a  torch 
and  set  forth,  meaning  never  to  come  back 
until  Proserpina  was  found. 

All  night  long,  at  the  door  of  every  cottage 
and  farmhouse,  Ceres  knocked  and  asked  if  any 
one  had  seen  her  child.  At  the  portal  of  every 
palace  she  knocked,  but  nobody  had  seen 
Proserpina,  nor  could  any  one  give  Ceres  the 
least  hint  wrhere  to  seek  her.  Thus  the  night 
passed,  and  still  she  went  on  searching,  without 
sitting  down  to  rest  or  stopping  to  take  food. 

Thus  Mother  Ceres  w^ent  wandering  about  for 
nine  days  and  nights.  Now  and  then  she  found 
a  withered  flower,  which  she  picked  up  and  put 


90 

into  her  bosom.  All  day  she  traveled  onward 
through  the  hot  sun,  and  at  night  the  dame  of 
the  torch  would  gleam  along  the  pathway. 

'There  is  one  person/'  she  exclaimed,  "who 
must  have  seen  my  poor  child,  and  can  doubt- 
less tell  what  has  become  of  her.  Why  did  I 
not  think  of  him  before?  It  is  Phoebus."  So 
she  went  along  to  find  Phoebus.  By  and  by, 
after  a  long  journey,  Ceres  came  to  the  sunniest 
spot  in  the  whole  world.  There  she  beheld  a 
beautiful  young  man  with  long,  curling  ringlets, 
which  seemed  to  be  made  of  golden  sunbeams, 
and  his  clothes  were  like  summer  clouds.  As 
Ceres  came  near  him  Phoebus  smiled  on  her 
cheerfully. 

"Phoebus,"  exclaimed  she,  'I  am  in  great 
trouble  'and  have  come  to  you  for  help.  Can 
you  tell  me  what  has  become  of  my  dear  child, 
Proserpina?  " 

'  I  am  happy  to  tell  you,  my  dear  madam, 
that  I  did  see  the  little  Proserpina  not  many 
days  ago.  You  may  make  yourself  easy  about 
her.  She  is  safe  and  in  good  hands." 


100 

"Oh,  where  is  my  dear  child?"  cried  Ceres, 
clasping  her  hands  and  Hinging  herself  at  his  feet. 

'Why,"  said  Phoebus,  "as  the  little  maiden 
was  gathering  flowers  she  was  suddenly  snatched 
up  by  King  Pluto  and  carried  off  to  his  king- 
dom. His  royal  palace  is  built  of  gold,  diamonds, 
and  pearls ;  and  all  kinds  of  precious  stones  will 
be  your  daughter's  playthings.  In  spite  of  the 
lack  of  sunshine  she  will  lead  a  very  happy  life." 

'  Will  you  go  with  me,  Phoebus,  to  demand 
my  daughter  of  this  wicked  Pluto?" 

'  Pray  excuse  me,"  replied  Phoebus,  "as  1  am 
not  upon  the  best  of  terms  with  King  Pluto. 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  his  three-headed  mastiff 
would  never  let  me  pass  the  gateway." 

Ceres  shook  her  head  and  hastened  away. 
She  had  now  found  out  what  had  become  of 
her  daughter,  but  she  was  not  happier  than 
before.  Had  Proserpina  been  aboveground,  Ceres 
could  have  found  her.  But,  now  that  the  poor 
child  was  shut  up  within  the  iron  gates  of  the 
king  of  the  mines,  there  seemed  to  be  no  chance 
of  her  ever  making  her  escape. 


101         W4,^JH;K#^1 

Farmers  plowed  and  planted  as  usual,  but 
pastures  looked  as  brown  in  the  month  of  June 
as  they  ever  did  in  November.  The  poor  starving 
cattle  and  sheep  followed  Ceres,  lowing  and 
bleating  as  if  they  expected  help  from  her. 
Everybody  that  knew  her  power  begged  her  to 
let  the  grains  and  grasses  grow. 

"No,"  said  Ceres,  "if  the  earth  is  ever  again 
green  it  must  grow  along  the  path  my  daughter 
treads  coming  back  to  me." 

At  last  Mercury  w^as  sent  to  King  Pluto  to 
beg  him  to  undo  the  mischief  he  had  done,  by  giv- 
ing up  Proserpina.  Mercury  made  his  way  to  the 
great  gate,  took  a  flying  leap  over  the  three- 
headed  mastiff,  and  asked  to  see  the  king.  The 
servants  knew  him  by  his  face  and  garb,  for  they 
had  often  seen  his  short  cloak,  his  winged 
cap  and  shoes,  and  his  snaky  staff.  Pluto  heard 
his  voice  from  the  top  of  the  stairs  and  called  out 
to  him  to  come  up. 

Proserpina  had  said  that  she  would  not  taste 
a  mouthful  of  food  so  long  as  she  stayed  in  the 
king's  palace. 


102 

When  Pluto  noticed  this  he  said :  "Are  you  not 
terribly  hungry?  Is  there  nothing  which  I  can 
get  for  you  to  eat?77 

'  I  shall  never  eat  anything  unless  it  be  a  slice 
of  bread  of  my  mother's  own  baking,  or  a  little 
fruit  out  of  her  garden/7  said  Proserpina. 

When  Pluto  heard  this  he  wondered  that  he 
had  never  thought  of  it  before.  So  he  sent  one 
of  his  trusty  servants  with  a  large  basket  to  get 
some  of  the  finest  fruits  which  could  be  found 
in  the  upper  world. 

This  was  during  the  time  Ceres  had  forbidden 
any  fruits  or  vegetables  to  grow.  After  seeking 
all  over  the  earth,  King  Pluto's  servant  found 
only  a  single  pomegranate,  and  that  was  too  dried 
up  to  be  worth  eating.  Nevertheless,  since  there 
was  no  better  to  be  had,  he  brought  this  dry  old 
pomegranate  home  to  the  palace  and  carried  it 
up  to  Proserpina.  Now  it  happened  that  just  as 
the  servant  was  bringing  the  pomegranate  into 
the  back  door  of  the  palace,  our  friend  Mercury 
had  gone  up  the  front  steps. 

As  soon  as  Proserpina  saw  the  pomegranate, 


103 

she  told  the  servant  to  take  it  away  again.  '  I 
shall  not  touch  it,"  said  she.  '  If  I  were  ever  so 
hungry,  I  should  never  think  of  eating  such  a 
dry  pomegranate  as  that." 

'  It  is  the  only  one  in  the  world,"  said  the 
servant,  and  he  set  it  down  and  left  the  room. 
When  he  was  gone  Proserpina  could  not  help 
coming  close  to  the  table  and  looking  at  this 
poor  dried  fruit.  It  was  a  very  poor-looking 
pomegranate,  and  seemed  to  have  no  more  juice 
in  it  than  an  oyster  shell.  But  this  was  the  first 
fruit  she  had  seen  there,  and  unless  she  ate  it  up 
at  once  it  would  grow  drier  than  it  already  was. 

"At  least  I  may  smell  it,"  thought  Proserpina. 
So  she  took  up  the  pomegranate  and  put  it  to 
her  nose.  Before  Proserpina  knewr  wrhat  she  was 
about,  her  teeth  had  bitten  it  of  their  own  accord. 
Just  then  the  door  opened  and  in  came  King 
Pluto,  followed  by  Mercury,  who  had  been  beg- 
ging him  to  let  his  prisoner  go.  Proserpina  took 
the  pomegranate  from  her  mouth. 

"My  little  Proserpina,"  said  the  king,  "here 
is  Mercury,  who  tells  me  that  many  misfortunes 


104 

have  befallen  the  people  in  the  upper  world  on 
account  of  my  keeping  you  in  my  kingdom.  I 
hoped  you  would  take  my  crown  for  a  plaything 
and  stay  with  me,  but  I  can  see  plainly  enough 
that  you  think  my  palace  a  prison.  An  iron 
heart  I  would  have  if  I  were  to  keep  you  here 
any  longer.  It  is  now  six  months  since  you  have 
tasted  food.  I  give  you  your  liberty.  Go  with 
Mercury.  Hasten  home  to  your  dear  mother." 

"  Come  quickly,"  whispered  Mercury  in  her  ear, 
"or  his  Majesty  may  change  his  royal  mind." 

In  a  very  short  time  they  had  passed  the 
great  gateway  where  the  three-headed  Cerberus 
was  barking  and  yelping  and  growling.  They 
came  up  to  the  earth.  As  Proserpina  hurried, 
the  path  grew  green  behind  and  on  either  side  of 
her.  Wherever  she  set  her  foot,  there  was  at 
once  a  flower.  The  violets  grew  up  along  the  wray. 
The  grass  and  the  grain  began  to  sprout.  The 
starved  cattle  started  grazing,  and  ate  all  day, 
and  got  up  at  midnight  to  eat  more.  All  the 
birds  hopped  about  upon  the  blossoming  trees 
and  sang  together  in  great  joy. 


105 

Mother  Ceres  had  gone  back  to  her  home  and 
was  sitting  on  the  doorsteps  with  her  torch  burn- 
ing in  her  hand.  She  had  been  watching  the 
Hame  for  some  time  when  all  at  once  it  flickered 
and  went  out.  '  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  thought 
she.  '  It  w^as  an  enchanted  torch,  and  should 
have  kept  burning  till  my  child  came  back.7' 
Then,  lifting  her  eyes,  she  saw7  the  brown  fields 
turning  green.  'Does  the  earth  disobey  me?" 
exclaimed  Ceres. 

"  Open  your  arms,  dear  mother,"  cried  a  well- 
known  voice,  "  and  take  your  little  daughter  into 
them."  And  Proserpina  came  running  and  flung 
herself  upon  her  mother's  bosom.  Both  of  them 
had  shed  many  tears,  and  now  they  shed  many 
more,  because  of  their  joy. 

When  their  hearts  had  grown  a  little  more 
quiet,  Ceres  looked  anxiously  at  Proserpina.  :r  My 
child,"  said  she,  "did  you  taste  any  food  while 
you  wrere  in  King  Pluto's  palace?" 

'  Dearest  mother,"  answered  Proserpina,  '  I 
will  tell  you  the  whole  truth.  Until  this  very 
morning  not  a  morsel  of  food  had  passed  my 


M7 


106 

lips,  but  today  they  brought  me  a  pomegranate. 
It  was  all  dried  up  and  there  was  little  left  of  it 
but  seeds  and  skin,  but  I  had  seen  no  fruit  for 
so  long  that  I  was  tempted  to  bite  it.  The  instant 
I  tasted  it,  King  Pluto  and  Mercury  came  into 
the  room.  I  had  not  swallowed  a  morsel,  but  six 
of  the  pomegranate  seeds  stayed  in  my  mouth." 

"My  poor  child,"  exclaimed  Ceres,  "for  each 
of  those  six  pomegranate  seeds  you  must  spend 
one  month  of  every  year  in  King  Pluto's  palace. 
Only  six  months  with  me  and  six  months  with 
that  good-for-nothing  King  of  Darkness." 

What  did  the  Greeks  think  was  the  work  of  Ceres  ? 

How  was  Proserpina  carried  away  ? 

Describe  the  kingdom  of  Pluto. 

Why  was  Proserpina  unhappy  there  ? 

How  did  her  absence  affect  the  earth  ? 

How  was  she  rescued  ? 

How  long  was  she  allowed  to  remain  with  her  mother  ? 

What  season  is  this  called  ? 

Why  did  Proserpina  have  to  stay  six  months  in  Pluto's 
kingdom  ? 

What  do  we  call  the  season  when  Proserpina  is  in 
Pluto's  kingdom  ? 


107 


HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  A  sea-nymph  was  believed  to  be  a  lovely  girl  or  young 
woman  who  lived  in  the  sea.    Why  must  the  sea-nymphs 
remain  where  the  surf  breaks  over  them  ?     Give  other 
words   for   stray,    glistening,   gazing.     Enchanted   means 
charmed  or  bewitched.    Describe  the  guard  at  the  gate  of 
Pluto's  kingdom.    How  did  the  water  of  the  river  Lethe 
make  people  feel  when  they  drank  it  ?   Give  other  words 
for  treads,  morsel. 

2.  What  sound  has  ph  in  nymphs?    What  sound  has  ei 
in  reigns? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
Ceres  (seVez)  :  goddess  of  fruits  and  vegetables 
Proserpina  (pro  sur'pi  n«)  :  daughter  of  Ceres 
turban  (tur'ban)  :  a  kind  of  hat  with  no  brim 
whirling  (whurl'ing)  :  turning  around 
Pluto  (ploo'to)  :  god  of  the  lower  world 
Cerberus    (sur'ber  us)  :    a   dog  with  three    heads  and  a 

serpent  tail 

Lethe  (le'the)  :  a  river  of  the  lower  world 
pomegranate  (pttm'gritn  at) :   a  fruit  somewhat   like   an 
orange  in  size  and  color 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
laughing  mischief  careful  earth 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


108 


FOUR  SWEET  MONTHS 
ROBERT  HEKRICK 

First,  April,  she  with  mellow  showers 

Opens  the  way  for  early  flowers; 

Then  after  her  comes  smiling  May, 

In  a  more  sweet  and  rich  array; 

Next  enters  June,  and  brings  us  more 

Gems  than  those  two  that  went  before ; 

Then,  lastly,  July  comes  and  she 

More  wealth  brings  in  than  all  those  three. 

Name  the  four  sweet  months. 

HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  Give  the  names  of  some  of  the  early  flowers.  Why 
is  May  called  "  smiling"  ?  "  Rich  array"  means  beautiful 
dress.  What  is  the  beautiful  dress  of  May?  The  word 


109 

gems  here  means  treasures,  as  beautiful  flowers.  What  are 
the  flowers  of  June?  Wealth  here  means  good  things. 
What  is  the  wealth  of  July? 

2.  Find  a  word  in  the  poem  where  ear  =  ur  in  urn ;  ay  =  a 
in  baby  ;  and  x  =  ks.  What  sound  has  er  in  after  ?  Find 
three  other  words  in  the  poem  where  er  =  er  in  after. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  3^5-373  • 

mellow  (mel'o)  :  soft 
array  (  a  ra/)  :  dress 
lastly  (last'li)  :  at  the  end 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  • 
first  early  after 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


110 


A  FROST  FANCY 
RICHARD  LE  GALLIENNE 

Summer  gone, 
Winter  here; 
Ways  are  white, 
Skies  are  clear. 
And  the  sun 
A  ruddy  boy 
All  day  sliding, 
While  at  night 
The  stars  appear 
Like  skaters  gliding 
On  a  mere. 

What  months  are  described  in  "A  Frost  Fancy"  ? 
What  season  do  you  enjoy  most  ?   Why  ? 


Ill 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  is  the  best  sport  in  winter?    Ways  are  roads. 
Give  another  word  for  appear.    What  do  the  stars  seem 
to  be  doing  on  a  clear  winter's  night  ?   Mere  means  lake. 
Recite  other  poems  on  the  seasons. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  poem  where  i  =1  in  white ;  ie  =  i 
in  white  ;  e  =  e  in  me ;  and  ea  =  e  in  me. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 

ruddy  (rticl/i)  :  of  a  reddish  color 
mere  (mer)  :  a  lake 
appear  (a  per)  :   seem 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
sliding  gliding  gone 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


112 


KRISS  KBINGLE 

THOMAS  BAILEY  ALDKICH 

Just  as   the  moon  was   fading   amid   her   misty 

rings, 
And  every  stocking  was  stuffed  with  childhood's 

precious  things, 
Old  Kriss  Kringle  looked  round,  and  saw  on  the 

elm-tree  bough, 
High-hung,    an    oriole's   empty   nest,    silent   and 

empty  now. 
"  Quite  like  a  stocking,"  he  laughed,  "pinned  up 

there  on  the  tree ! 
Little    I    thought  the   birds   expected   a   present 

from  me !" 


113 

Then  old  Kriss  Kringle,  who  loves  a  joke  as  well 

as  the  best, 
Dropped  a  handful  of  flakes  in  the  oriole's  empty 

nest. 


What  was  Kriss  Kringle' s  joke  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  What  time  of  night  is  described  in  the  first  line? 
rt  Fading  amid  her  misty  rings"  means  disappearing  in  a 
haze  or  cloud.     What  had   Kriss   Kringle   done  for  the 
children?    Give  another  name  for  Kriss  Kringle.    Draw 
a  picture  of  an    oriole's    nest.     How   can   children  play 
Kriss  Kringle  to  the  birds  ? 

2.  Find  words  in  the  poem  where  qu  =  kw  and  au  =  a  in 
dark. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  *• 
bough  (bou)  :  branch  of  a  tree 
oriole    (6'ri  51)  :   a   bright   yellow   bird  with  black  head, 

wings,  and  tail 

silent  (si'lent)  :  free  from  noise 
expected  (Sks  p8kt/8d)  :  looked  for 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  : 
stocking  thought  things  just 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


114 


CHRISTMAS  AT  THE  HOLLOW  TREE  INN 
ALBERT  BIGELOW  PAINE 

Once  upon  a  time,  when  the  Robin,  and  Turtle, 
and  Squirrel,  and  Jack  Rabbit  had  all  gone  home 
for  the  winter,  nobody  was  left  in  the  Hollow 
Tree  except  the  'Coon  and  the  Tossum  and  the 
old  black  Crow.  Of  course  the  others  used  to  come 
back  and  visit  them  pretty  often,  and  Mr.  Dog 
too,  now  that  he  had  become  good  friends  with 
all  the  Deep  Woods  people,  and  they  thought  a 
great  deal  of  him  when  they  knew  him  better. 
Mr.  Dog  told  them  a  lot  of  things  they  had  never 
heard  of  before,  -  -  things  that  he'd  learned  at 
Mr.  Man's  house,  and  maybe  that's  one  reason 
why  they  liked  him  so  well. 

He  told  them  about  Santa  Claus,  for  one  thing, 
and  how  the  old  fellow  came  down  the  chimney  on 
Christmas  Eve  to  bring  presents  to  Mr.  Man  and 
his  children,  who  always  hung  up  their  stockings 
for  them,  and  Mr.  Dog  said  that  once  he  had  hung 
up  his  stocking,  too,  and  got  a  nice  bone  in  it, 
that  was  so  good  he  had  buried  and  dug  it  up 


115 

again  as  many  as  six  times  before  spring.  He 
said  that  Santa  Glaus  always  came  to  Mr.  Man's 
house,  and  that  whenever  the  children  hung  up 
their  stockings  they  were  sure  to  get  something 
in  them. 

Well,  the  Hollow  Tree  people  had  never  heard 
of  Santa  Glaus.  They  know  about  Christmas,  of 
course,  because  everybody,  even  the  cows  and 
sheep,  knows  about  that,  but  they  had  never 
heard  of  Santa  Glaus.  You  see,  Santa  Glaus  only 
comes  to  Mr.  Man's  house,  but  they  didn't  know 
that  either,  so  they  thought  if  they  just  hung  up 
their  stockings,  he'd  come  there  too,  and  that's 
what  they  made  up  their  minds  to  do.  They 
talked  about  it  a  great  deal  together,  and  Mr. 
'Possum  looked  over  all  his  stockings  to  pick  out 
the  biggest  one  he  had,  and  Mr.  Crow  made  him- 
self a  new  pair  on  purpose.  Mr.  'Coon  said  he 
never  knew  Mr.  Crow  to  make  himself  such  big 
stockings  before,  but  Mr.  Crow  said  he  was  getting 
old  and  needed  things  bigger,  and  when  he  lent 
one  of  his  new  stockings  to  Mr.  'Coon,  Mr.  'Coon 
said,  "That's  so,"  and  that  he  guessed  they  were 


116 

about  right  after  all.  They  didn't  tell  anybody 
about  it  at  first,  but  by  and  by  they  told  Mr.  Dog 
what  they  were  going  to  do,  and  when  Mr.  Dog 
heard  it  he  wanted  to  laugh  right  out.  You  see, 
he  knew  Santa  Glaus  never  went  anywhere  except 
to  Mr.  Man's  house,  and  he  thought  it  would  be 
a  great  joke  on  the  Hollow  Tree  people  when 
they  hung  up  their  stockings  and  didn't  get 
anything. 

But  by  and  by  Mr.  Dog  thought  about  some- 
thing else.  He  thought  it  would  be  too  bad  for 
them  to  be  disappointed  that  way.  You  see,  Mr. 
Dog  liked  them  all  now,  and  when  he  had  thought 
about  that  a  minute  he  made  up  his  mind  to  do 
something.  And  this  is  what  it  was --he  made 
up  his  mind  to  play  Santa  Glaus! 

He  knew  just  how  Santa  Glaus  looked  because 
he  had  seen  lots  of  his  pictures  at  Mr.  Man's 
house,  and  he  thought  it  would  be  great  fun  to 
dress  up  that  way  and  take  a  bag  of  presents  to 
the  Hollow  Tree  while  they  were  all  asleep  and 
fill  up  the  stockings  of  the  7Coon  and  'Possum 
and  the  old  black  Grow.  But  first  he  had  to  be 


118 

sure  of  some  way  of  getting  in,  so  he  said  to  them 
that  he  didn't  see  how  they  could  expect  Santa 
Glaus,  their  chimneys  were  so  small,  but  Mr.  Crow 
said  they  could  leave  their  latchstring  out  dow^n- 
stairs,  which  was  just  what  Mr.  Dog  wanted. 
Then  they  said  they  were  going  to  have  all  the 
folks  that  had  spent  the  summer  with  them  for 
Christmas  dinner  and  to  see  the  presents  they 
had  got  in  their  stockings.  They  told  Mr.  Dog  to 
come  over,  too,  if  he  could  get  away,  and  Mr.  Dog 
said  he  would  and  went  off  laughing  to  himself, 
and  ran  all  the  way  home  because  he  felt  so 
pleased  at  what  he  was  going  to  do. 

Well,  he  had  to  work  pretty  hard,  I  tell  you,  to 
get  things  ready.  It  wasn't  so  hard  to  get  the 
presents  as  it  was  to  rig  up  his  Santa  Glaus 
dress.  He  found  some  long  wool  in  Mr.  Man's 
barn  for  his  white  whiskers,  and  he  put  some  that 
wasn't  so  long  on  the  edges  of  his  overcoat  and 
boot  tops,  and  around  an  old  hat  he  had.  Then 
he  borrowed  a  big  sack  he  found  out  there,  and 
fixed  it  up  to  swing  over  his  back,  just  as  he  had 
seen  Santa  Glaus  do  in  the  picture.  He  had  a  lot 


119 

of  nice  things  to  take  along.  Three  tender  young 
chickens  he  took  from  Mr.  Man,  for  one  thing, 
and  then  he  bought  some  new  neckties  for  the 
Hollow  Tree  folks  all  around,  arid  a  big  striped 
candy  cane  for  each  one,  because  candy  canes 
always  looked  well  sticking  out  of  a  stocking. 
Besides  all  that,  he  had  a  new  pipe  for  each  and 
a  package  of  tobacco.  You  see,  Mr.  Dog  lived 
with  Mr.  Man  and  didn't  ever  have  to  buy  much 
for  himself,  so  he  had  always  saved  his  money. 
He  had  even  more  things  than  that,  but  I  can't 
remember  just  now  w^hat  they  were;  and  when 
he  started  out,  all  dressed  like  Santa  Claus,  I  tell 
you  his  bag  wras  very  heavy.  He  almost  wished 
before  he  got  there  that  he  hadn't  started  with 
quite  so  much. 

The  bag  got  heavier  and  heavier  all  the  way, 
and  he  was  glad  enough  to  get  there  and  find  the 
latchstring  out.  He  set  his  bag  down  to  rest  a 
minute  before  climbing  the  stairs,  and  then  opened 
the  door  softly  and  listened.  He  didn't  hear  a  thing 
except  Mr.  Crow  and  Mr.  'Coon  and  Mr.  'Possum 
breathing  pretty  low,  and  he  knew  they  might 


120 

wake  up  any  minute ;  and  lie  wouldn't  have 
been  caught  there  in  the  midst  of  things  for  a 
good  deal.  So  he  slipped  up  just  as  easy  as  he 
could,  and  when  he  got  up  in  the  big  parlor  he 
almost  had  to  laugh  right  out  loud ;  for  there 
were  the  stockings  sure  enough,  all  hung  up  in  a 
row,  and  a  card  with  a  name  on  it  over  each  one, 
telling  whom  it  belonged  to. 

Then  he  listened  again,  and  all  at  once  he 
jumped  and  held  his  breath,  for  he  hoard  Mr. 
Tossum  say  something.  But  Mr.  'Possum  was 
only  talking  in  his  sleep  and  saying,  ' '  I'll  take 
another  piece,  please, "  and  Mr.  Dog  knew  that 
he  wras  dreaming  about  the  mince  pie  he  had 
had  for  supper. 

So  then  he  opened  his  bag  and  filled  the 
stockings.  He  put  in  mixed  candies  and  nuts, 
and  then  the  pipes  and  tobacco  and  candy  canes, 
so  they'd  show  at  the  top ;  and  he  hung  a  nice 
dressed  chicken  outside.  I  tell  you,  they  looked 
fine !  It  almost  made  Mr.  Dog  wish  he  had  a 
stocking  of  his  own  there  to  fill,  and  he  forgot 
all  about  their  waking  up  and  sat  down  in  a 


121 

chair  to  look  at  the  stockings.  It  was  a  nice 
rocking-chair,  and  it  was  over  in  a  dark  corner 
where  they  wouldn't  be  apt  to  see  him,  even  if 
one  of  them  did  wake  up  and  stick  his  head 
out  of  his  room.  So  Mr.  Dog  felt  pretty  safe. 
He  rocked  softly  and  looked  and  looked  at  the 
nice  stockings,  and  thought  how  pleased  the 
owners  would  be  in  the  morning,  and  how  tired 
he  was.  You've  heard  about  people  being  as 
tired  as  a  dog;  and  that's  just  howT  Mr.  Dog 
felt.  He  was  so  tired  he  didn't  feel  a  bit  like 
starting  home,  and  by  and  by  -  -  he  never  did 
know  how  it  happened -- Mr.  Dog  went  sound 
asleep  right  there  in  his  chair  with  all  his  Santa 
Glaus  clothes  on. 

And  there  he  sat,  with  his  empty  bag  in  his 
hand  and  the  nice  full  stockings  in  front  of  him, 
all  night  long.  Even  when  it  came  morning  and 
began  to  get  light  Mr.  Dog  didn't  know  it;  he 
just  slept  right  on,  he  was  so  tired.  Then  pretty 
soon  the  door  of  Mr.  'Possum's  room  opened  and 
he  poked  out  his  head.  And  just  then  the  door 
of  Mr.  'Coon's  room  opened  and  he  poked  out  his 


M7 


122 

head.  Then  the  door  of  the  old  black  crow  opened 
and  out  came  his  head.  They  all  looked  toward 
the  stockings  and  they  didn't  see  Mr.  Dog  or 
even  each  other.  They  saw  their  stockings, 
though,  and  Mr.  'Coon  said  all  at  once,  "  Oh, 
there's  something  in  my  stocking!" 

And  then  Mr.  Crow  said,  "  Oh,  there's  some- 
thing in  my  stocking,  too !  " 

And  Mr.  'Possum  said,  "  Oh,  there  's  something 
in  all  our  stockings !  " 

And  with  that  they  gave  a  great  hurrah 
all  together,  and  rushed  out  and  grabbed  their 
stockings,  and  turned  around  just  in  time  to 
see  Mr.  Dog  jump  right  straight  up  out  of  his 
chair,  for  he  did  not  know  where  he  was  the 
least  bit  in  the  world. 

"  Oh,  there's  Santa  Glaus  himself!"  they  all 
shouted  together,  for  they  were  scared  almost 
to  death.  But  it  all  dawned  on  Mr.  Dog  in  a 
second,  and  he  commenced  to  laugh  and  hurrah 
to  think  what  a  joke  it  was  on  everybody.  And 
when  they  heard  Mr.  Dog  laugh  they  knew  him 
right  away,  and  they  all  came  up  and  looked 


123 

at  him,  and  he  had  to  tell  just  what  he  had 
done  and  everything ;  then  they  emptied  out  their 
stockings  on  the  floor  and  ate  some  of  the  presents 
and  looked  at  the  others,  until  they  almost  forgot 
about  breakfast,  just  as  children  do  on  Christmas 
morning. 

Then  Mr.  Crow  said  all  at  once  that  he'd 
make  a  little  coffee,  and  that  Mr.  Dog  must 
stay  and  have  some.  By  and  by  they  made  him 
promise  to  spend  the  day  with  them  and  be 
there  when  the  Robin  and  the  Squirrel  and 
Mr.  Turtle  and  Jack  Rabbit  came,  which  he  did. 

It  was  snowing  hard  outside,  which  made  it  a 
nicer  Christmas  than  if  it  hadn't  been,  and  when 
all  the  others  came,  they  brought  presents,  too. 
And  when  they  saw  Mr.  Dog  dressed  up  as 
Santa  Glaus  and  heard  how  he'd  gone  to  sleep 
and  been  caught,  they  laughed  and  laughed.  It 
snowed  so  hard  that  they  had  to  stay  all  night, 
and  after  dinner  they  sat  around  the  fire  and 
told  stories.  And  they  had  to  stay  the  next 
night  too,  and  all  that  Christmas  week.  I  wish 
I  could  tell  you  all  that  happened  that  week, 


124 

but  I  can't,  because  I  haven't  time.  But  it  was 
the  very  nicest  Christmas  that  ever  was  in  the 
Hollow  Tree,  or  in  the  big  deep  woods  anywhere. 

How  did  Mr.  Dog  know  about  Santa  Claus  ? 

Why  did  he  make  up  his  mind  to  play  Santa  Claus  ? 

Tell  how  he  was  discovered. 

Tell  how  the  Christmas  party  ended. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Who  lived  at  the  Hollow  Tree  Inn  ?  Tell  the  names  of 
some  of  their  visitors.    Tell  how  the  animals  prepared  for 
Christmas.    Tell  how  Mr.  Dog  got  ready  to  play  Santa 
Claus.    What  is  the  mark  before  'Possum    and    'Coon  ? 
What  does  it  tell  here  ?  Give  the  right  names  of  these  two 
animals.    Describe  Santa  Claus's  visit  to  Hollow  Tree  Inn. 
Tell  another  Christmas  story.    Go  to  the  library  and  read 
"A  Visit  from  St.  Nicholas,"  by  Clement  C.  Moore. 

2.  Find   words    in   the    story   where    ie  =  1  in   white. 
Give  the  sound  of  ie  in  buried  ;  of  u  in  minute.  Give  other 
words  having  the  sound  of  i  in  is.    Give  the  sound  of  o  in 
front ;  of  ou  in  enough.   Give  other  words  having  the  sound 
of  u  in  fun.    Give  the  sound  of  ue  in  guessed.    Give  other 
words  having  the  sound  of  e  in  elf. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373: 

chimney   (chim'm) :    an    upright  flue  of  brick   or  stone 

for  smoke 
disappointed  (dis  a  point'  6d)  :  grieved,  made  sorry 


125 

purpose  (pur'pus)  :   aim 

Santa    Glaus    (san'ta  kloz) :    the    bearer    of   presents    to 
children  on  Christmas  Eve 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
squirrel  picture  laugh  dog 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


THE  WHOLE  DUTY  OF  KITTENS 
OLIVER  HEKFORD 

When  human  folk  at  table  eat, 
A  kitten  must  not  mew  for  meat, 

Or  jump  to  grab  it  from  the  dish, 
(Unless  it  happens  to  be  fish). 


126 


THE  MONKEY'S  REVENGE 
E.  V.  LUCAS 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  little  girl 
named  Clara  Amabel  Platts.  She  lived  in  Ken- 
sington, near  the  Gardens,  and  every  day  when 
it  was  fine  she  walked  with  Miss  Hobbs  round 
the  Round  Pond.  Miss  Hobbs  was  her  governess. 
When  it  was  wet  she  read  a  book,  or  as  much 
of  a  book  as  she  could,  being  still  rather  weak 
in  the  matter  of  long  words.  When  she  did 
not  read  she  made  woolwork  articles  for  her 
aunts,  and  now  and  then  something  for  her 


127 

mother's  birthday  present  or  Christmas  present. 
This  was  supposed  to  be  a  secret,  but  her 
mother,  however  hard  she  tried  not  to  look, 
always  knew  all  about  it.  But  this  did  not 
prevent  her  mother  from  being  greatly  surprised 
when  the  present  was  given  to  her. 

It  was  generally  admitted  by  Mrs.  Platts,  and 
also  by  Miss  Hobbs  and  Kate  Woodley,  the  nurse, 
that  Clara  w^as  a  very  good  girl ;  but  she  had 
one  fault  which  troubled  them  all :  and  that  was 
too  much  readiness  in  saying  what  came  into 
her  mind.  Mrs.  Platts  tried  to  check  her  by 
making  her  count  five  before  she  spoke  about 
what  was  happening,  so  that  she  could  be  sure 
that  she  really  ought  to  say  it ;  and  Kate 
Woodley  used  often  to  click  her  tongue  when 
Clara  was  rattling  on ;  but  Miss  Hobbs  had 
another  and  more  serious  remedy.  She  used  to 
tell  Clara  to  ask  herself  three  questions  before 
she  made  any  of  her  quick  little  remarks. 
These  were  the  questions:  (1)  Is  it  kind?  (2)  Is 
it  true?  (3)  Is  it  necessary?  If  the  answer  to 
all  three  was  Yes,  then  Clara  might  say  what 


128 

she  wanted  to ;  otherwise  not.  The  result  was 
that  when  Clara  and  Miss  Hobbs  walked  round 
the  Round  Pond,  Clara  had  very  little  to  say, 
because,  you  know,  if  it  comes  to  that,  hardly 
anything  is  necessary. 

Well,  on  December  20,  1907,  the  postman 
brought  Mrs.  Platts  a  letter  from  Clara's  aunt, 
Miss  Amabel  Patterson  of  Chiselhurst,  after 
whom  she  had  been  named,  and  it  was  that 
letter  which  makes  this  story.  It  said  that 
Miss  Patterson  would  very  much  like  Clara  to 
have  a  nice  Christmas  present ;  and  it  went  on 
to  say  that  if  she  had  been  very  good  lately, 
and  continued  good  up  to  the  time  of  buying 
the  present,  it  was  to  cost  seven-and-six.  If  she 
had  not  been  very  good,  it  was  to  cost  only  a 
shilling.  This  shows  you  the  kind  of  aunt 
Miss  Patterson  was.  For  myself,  I  don't  think 
that  at  Christmas-time  a  matter  of  good  or  bad 
behavior  ought  to  be  remembered  at  all.  And 
I  think  that  everything  then  ought  to  cost  seven- 
and-six.  But  Miss  Patterson  had  her  own  way 
of  doing  things.  It  did  not  really  matter  about 


129 

the  shilling  at  all,  because  Clara  had  been  very 
good  for  a  long  time.  Mrs.  Platts  decided  that 
unless  anything  were  still  to  happen  the  present 
was  to  cost  seven-and-six,  just  as  if  nothing 
about  a  shilling  had  ever  been  said. 

Unless  anything  were  still  to  happen.  Ah ! 
Everything  in  this  story  depends  on  that. 

Clara  was  as  good  as  gold  all  the  morning, 
and  she  and  Miss  Hobbs  marched  round  the 
Round  Pond  like  soldiers,  Miss  Hobbs  talking 
all  the  time  and  Clara  as  dumb  as  a  fish.  At 
dinner  also  she  behaved  beautifully,  although 
the  pudding  was  not  at  all  what  she  liked ; 
and  then  it  was  time  for  her  mother  to  take 
her  out  to  buy  the  present.  So,  still  good, 
Clara  ran  upstairs  to  be  dressed. 

There  are  in  Kensington  High  Street  a  great 
many  large  shops,  and  the  largest  of  these, 
which  is  called  Biter's,  has  a  very  nice  way 
every  December  of  filling  one  of  its  windows 
with  toys.  There  are  boats  for  the  Round  Pond, 
and  dolls  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  and  steam 
engines  with  quite  a  lot  of  rails  and  signals, 


130 


and  clockwork  animals,  and  guns.  And  when  you 
go  inside  you  can.'t  help  hearing  the  gramophone. 
It  was  into  this  shop  that  Mrs.  Platts  and 
Clara  went,  wondering  whether  they  would  buy 
just  one  thing  that  cost  seven-and-six  all  at 
once,  or  a  lot  of  smaller  things  that  came  to 
seven-and-six  all  together.  Well,  everything  was 
going  splendidly,  and  Clara,  after  many  chang- 
ings  of  her  mind,  had  just  decided  on  a  beau- 
tiful wax  doll  with  cheeks  like  tulips  and  real 
black  hair,  when  she  chanced  to  look  up  and 
saw  a  funny  little  old  gentleman  come  in  at 
the  door,  and  all  in  a  flash  she  forgot  her 
promises  and  everything  that  was  depending  on 
them.  She  seized  her  mother's  arm,  and,  giving 


131 

no  thought  at  all  to  Miss  Hobbs's  three  questions, 
or  to  Kate  Woodley's  clicking  tongue,  or  to 
counting  five,  she  cried  in  a  loud  whisper: 
"  Oh,  mother,  do  look  at  that  queer  little  man ! 
Isn't  he  just  like  a  monkey !  " 

Now  there  were  two  dreadful  things  about 
this  speech.  One  was  that  it  was  made  before 
Aunt  Amabel's  present  had  been  bought,  and 
therefore  Mrs.  Platts  was  allowed  to  spend  only 
a  shilling.  The  other  was  that  the  little  old 
gentleman  must  have  heard  it,  for  his  face 
flushed  and  he  looked  very  uncomfortable. 
Indeed,  it  was  an  uncomfortable  time  for  every 
one.  Mrs.  Platts  was  very  unhappy  to  think 
that  her  little  girl  not  only  should  have  lost 
the  nice  doll,  but  also  have  been  so  rude.  The 
little  old  gentleman  was  very  confused  and 
nervous ;  the  girl  who  was  waiting  on  them 
was  distressed  when  she  knew  what  Clara's 
unlucky  speech  had  cost  her.  Clara  herself  was 
in  tears.  After  some  time,  in  which  Mrs.  Platts 
and  the  girl  did  their  best  to  soothe  her,  Clara 
consented  to  receive  a  shilling  box  of  chalks  as 


132 

her  present,  and  was  led  back  still  sobbing.  Never 
was  there  such  a  sad  ending  to  an  exciting  trip ! 

Miss  Hobbs  luckily  had  gone  home ;  but  Kate 
Woodley  made  things  worse  by  being  very  sorry  and 
clicking  away  like  a  Bee  clock,  and  Clara  hardly 
knew  how  to  get  through  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Clara's  bedtime  came  always  at  a  quarter  to 
eight,  and  between  her  supper,  which  was  at  half 
past  six,  and  that  hour  she  used  to  come  down- 
stairs and  play  with  her  father  and  her  mother. 
On  this  evening  she  was  very  quiet  and  miserable, 
although  Mrs.  Platts  and  Mr.  Platts  did  all  they 
could  to  cheer  her.  She  did  a  most  strange  thing : 
when  it  was  still  only  half  past  seven,  she  said 
that  she  would  like  to  go  to  bed. 

And  she  would  have  gone,  but  at  that  moment 
a  loud  knock  sounded  at  the  front  door,  —  so  loud 
that,  in  spite  of  her  unhappiness,  Clara  had  to 
wait  and  see  what  it  was. 

And  what  do  you  think  it  wTas?  A  box  ad- 
dressed to  Mrs.  Platts,  and  it  came  from  Biter's. 

'But  I  haven't  ordered  anything,"  said  Mrs. 
Platts. 


133 

"Never  mind,"  said  Mr.  Platts;  "open  it." 
So  the  box  was  opened,  and  inside  was  a  note, 
and  this  is  what  it  said : 

Dear  Madam,  —  I  am  so  distressed  to  think  that  I  am 
the  cause  of  your  little  girl  losing  her  present,  that  I  feel 
there  is  nothing  I  can  do  but  give  her  one  myself.  For  if 
I  had  not  been  so  foolish  —  at  my  age  too  —  as  to  go  to 
Biter's  this  afternoon,  without  any  reason  but  to  look 
round,  she  would  never  have  got  into  trouble.  Biter's  is 
for  children,  not  for  old  men  with  queer  faces.  And  so  I 
beg  leave  to  send  her  this  doll,  which  I  hope  is  the  right 
one,  and  with  it  a  few  clothes  and  necessaries.  I  am  sure 
she  will  not  forget  how  it  was  that  she  very  nearly  lost 
it  altogether. 

Believe  me,  yours  penitently, 
THE-LITTLE-OLD-MAN-WHO-REALLY- 
IS-(AS-HIS-LOOKING-GLASS-HAS-TOO- 
OFTEN-TOLD-HIM)-LIKE-A-MONKEY. 

This  letter,  when  Mrs.  Platts  read  it  to  her, 
seemed  like  a  dream  to  Clara.  But  when  the 
box  was  unpacked  it  was  found  to  contain,  truly 
enough,  the  very  doll  she  had  wanted,  with  cheeks 
like  tulips  and  real  black  hair.  And  there  were 
also  frocks  for  it,  and  nightdresses  and  petticoats, 


135 

and  a  card  of  tortoise-shell  articles ;  and  three 
hats  and  a  tiny  doll's  parasol  for  Kensington 
Gardens  on  sunny  days. 

Poor  Clara  didn't  know  what  to  do,  and  so  she 
simply  sat  down  with  the  doll  in  her  arms  and 
cried  again ;  but  this  was  a  different  kind  of  cry- 
ing from  that  which  she  had  done  before.  And 
when  Kate  Woodley  came  to  take  her  to  bed,  she 
cried,  too. 

And  the  funny  thing  is  that,  though  the  little 
old  gentleman's  present  looks  much  more  like  a 
reward  for  being  naughty  than  a  punishment, 
Clara  has  hardly  ever  since  said  a  quick,  unkind 
thing  that  she  could  be  sorry  for.  And  Miss 
Hobbs's  three  questions  are  never  wanted  at  all, 
and  Kate  Woodley  has  entirely  given  up  clicking. 

What  was  Clara's  chief  fault  ? 
How  did  her  mother  try  to  cure  her  ? 
How  was  she  to  earn  a  fine  Christmas  present  ? 
How  did  she  lose  it  ? 
How  was  the  loss  made  up  to  her  ? 
Why  did  this  reward  for  being  naughty  help  more  than 
a  punishment? 


136 


HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  What  three  questions  did  Miss  Hobbs  use  to  keep 
Clara  quiet  ?    Why  did  Clara  want  to  go  to  bed  ?   Why  did 
Clara  not  need  the  three  questions  after  she  received  the 
present  ?    Kensington  is  a  part  of  London,  in  England. 
"  Generally  admitted  "  means  allowed  by  all.    Seven-and-six 
in  English  money  is  about  one  dollar  and  eighty-seven 
cents    in    our    money.      An    English    shilling    is    about 
twenty-five  cents. 

2.  What  sound  has  di  in  soldiers  ?   What  sound  has  ei  in 
seized  ?   What  sound  has  au  in  fault  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
governess  (guv'SmSs)  :   a  woman  teacher  in  a  family 
prevent  (pre  v£nt')  :  keep  from 
serious  (se'ri  us)  :  important 
remedy  (rSm'e  di)  :  cure 
continued  (kon  tm'ud)  :  kept  on  being 
behavior  (be  haVyer)  :  conduct,  manners 
penitently  (p£n'  I  tent  li)  :  feeling  sorry 
whether  (whgth'er)  :   which  (of  two) 
depending  (de  pgnd'mg)  :  connected  with 
uncomfortable  (tin  kum'fer  ta  b'l)  :  uneasy 
confused  (kon  fuzd')  :   put  to  shame 
distressed  (dis  trgst')  :  troubled 

consented  (k$n  s8nt'  8d)  :  agreed,  made  up  one's  mind 
addressed  (adr6st'):  directed  in  writing,  as  a  letter 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
rather  losing  aunt  cost 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


137 


RING  OUT,  WILD  BELLS 
ALFRED  TENNYSON 

Ring  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  new, 
Ring,  happy  bells,  across  the  snow : 
The  year  is  going,  let  him  go ; 

Ring  out  the  false,  ring  in  the  true. 

EVERY  DAY  'S  A  LITTLE  YEAR 
ANNETTE  WYNNE 

Every  day's  a  little  year, 
Keep  it  new  and  full  of  cheer, 
Keep  it  glad  in  any  weather, 
So,  by  adding  days  together - 
All  the  whole  big  year  is  true- 
Full  of  cheer  and  shining  new ! 

A  FRIENDLY  WORD 
ANNETTE  WYNNE 

A  friendly  word  's  a  sunshine  broom 
That  keeps  the  day  swept  clean  of  gloom ; 
And  quite  before  you  are  aware 
A  happy  "feel"  is  in  the  air. 


M7 


138 


PHAETON  AND  THE  HORSES  OF  THE  SUN1 

There  was  once  a  nymph  named  Clymene, 
who  had  a  son  so  handsome  that  he  was  called 
Phaeton,  a  Greek  word  meaning  "bright,"  "shin- 
ing," :'like  the  sun."  When  he  grew  up,  the 
goddess  Venus  was  so  charmed  with  him  that 
she  made  him  the  chief  ruler  of  all  her  temples. 

One  day,  when  Phaeton  was  foolishly  brag- 
ging about  his  own  beauty  and  greatness,  one 
of  his  companions  said :  "Ah !  you  may  boast 
and  brag,  but  you  are  a  nobody  after  all.  My 
father  was  Jupiter,  as  everybody  knows;  but 
who  was  yours?" 

So  Phaeton  went  to  his  mother,  Clymene, 
and  said:  'Mother,  they  taunt  me  for  not 
being  the  son  of  a  god.  Who  was  my  father? 
He  must  at  least  have  been  some  great  king, 
to  be  the  father  of  such  a  son  as  I." 

:'A  king,"  said  Clymene.  :'  Aye,  and  greater 
than  all  kings.  Tell  them  from  me  that  your 
father  is  Apollo,  the  god  of  the  sun." 

1  Adapted  from  Francillon's  "  Gods  and  Heroes." 


139 

But  when  he  went  back  and  told  his  friends, 
'My  father  is  Apollo,  the  god  of  the  sun," 
they  only  laughed  at  him  the  more. 

'  You've  caught  your  bragging  from  your 
mother,"  they  said.  'You're  her  son,  anyhow, 
whoever  your  father  may  be." 

When  Clymene  heard  this,  she  felt  very  angry. 
'Then  I  will  prove  my  wwds,"  she  said  to 
Phaeton.  'Go  to  the  palace  of  the  sun  and 
enter  boldly.  There  you  will  see  the  sun  god 
in  all  his  glory.  Ask  him  to  say  that  you  are 
his  son  before  all  the  world,  so  that  even  the 
sons  of  Jupiter  shall  hang  their  heads  for  shame." 

The  only  w^ay  to  find  the  god  of  the  sun  was 
to  go  to  his  palace  above  the  sky.  How  Phaeton 
managed  to  get  there  I  have  never  heard,  but 
I  suppose  his  mother  was  able  to  tell  him  the 
secret  way. 

Can  you  imagine  the  wonderful  place  it  is, 
the  house  of  the  sun?  The  stars  are  the  win- 
dows that  are  lighted  up  at  night;  and  the 
clouds  are  the  curtains.  The  blue  sky  is  tffre 
garden.  The  bright  sun  is  the  chariot  of  Apollo, 


141 

drawn  by  four  horses  of  white  fire,  who  feed 
on  golden  grain  and  are  driven  by  the  god 
himself  round  and  round  the  world. 

Phaeton  entered  boldly,  as  his  mother  had 
told  him,  found  Apollo  in  all  his  glory,  and  said: 
"  My  mother,  Clymene,  says  that  I  am  your  son. 
Is  it  true?" 

"  Certainly,"  said  Apollo;  "what  your  mother 
has  told  you  is  true." 

'Then  give  me  a  sign,"  said  Phaeton;  "that 
all  may  know  and  believe.  Make  me  sure  that 
I  am  your  son." 

'Tell    them    that    I    say    so,"     said    Apollo. 

'  There ;    don't  keep  me  any  longer.    My  horses 

are  harnessed;    it  is  time  for  the  sun  to  rise." 

'No,"  said  Phaeton,  "they  will  only  say  that 
I  brag  and  lie.  Give  me  a  sign  for  all  the  world 
to  see,  -  -  a  sign  that  only  a  father  would  give 
to  his  own  child." 

'Very  well,"  said  Apollo,  who  was  getting 
angry  at  being  kept.  "Only  tell  me  what  you 
want  me  to  do,  and  it  shall  be  done." 

'You  swear  it,   by   Styx?"   said   Phaeton. 


142 

Now  you  must  know  that  the  Styx  was  a  river 
in  the  world  underground,  by  which  the  gods 
swore.  An  oath  "  by  Styx  "  was  as  binding  upon 
a  god  as  a  plain  promise  is  upon  a  gentleman. 

'  I  swear  it,  by  Styx !  "  said  Apollo,  for  he  was 
now  in  a  great  hurry  indeed. 

'  Then,"  said  Phaeton,  "let  me  drive  the  horses 
of  the  sun  for  one  whole  day.77 

This  frightened  Apollo  terribly,  for  he  knew 
very  well  that  no  hand  but  his  own,  not  even  a 
god's,  could  drive  the  horses  of  the  sun.  But  he 
had  sworn  "  by  Styx,"  -the  oath  that  cannot  be 
broken.  All  he  could  do  was  to  keep  the  world 
waiting  for  sunrise  while  he  showed  Phaeton  how 
to  hold  the  reins  and  the  whip.  He  then  pointed 
out  the  way  to  go,  and  warned  him  of  the  dangers 
of  the  road. 

'But  it's  all  of  no  use.  You'll  never  do  it," 
he  said.  "  Give  it  up,  while  there  is  yet  time. 
You  know  not  what  you  do." 

"  Oh,  but  I  do,"  said  Phaeton.  '  I  know  I  can. 
There ;  I  understand  it  all  now  without  another 
word." 


143 

So  saying,  he  sprang  into  the  chariot.   He  seized 

the  reins,  giving  the  four  fiery  horses  four  lashes 

that  sent  them  flying  like  comets  through  the  air. 

'  Hold  them  in ;  hold  them  hard  !  "  cried  Apollo. 

But  Phaeton  was  gone  and  too  far  off  to  hear. 

Off  indeed !  and  where  ?  The  world  must  have 
been  surprised  that  day  to  see  the  sun  rise  like 
a  rocket  and  go  dashing  about  the  sky, —  north, 
south,  east,  west,  anywhere,  nowhere,  everywhere. 
Well  the  horses  knew  that  it  was  not  Apollo,  their 
master,  who  held  the  reins.  They  took  their  bits 
between  their  teeth  and  bolted.  They  kicked  a 
planet  to  pieces.  They  broke  holes  in  the  chariot, 
which  we  can  see,  and  which  we  call  "  sun  spots,'7 
to  this  day. 

At  last  Phaeton  saw  to  his  horror  that  the 
horses  in  their  mad  rush  were  getting  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  earth  itself ;  and  what  would  happen 
then  ?  If  the  wheels  touched  the  globe  we  live  on, 
it  would  be  burned  to  a  cinder.  Nearer,  nearer, 
nearer  it  came,  till  a  last  wild  kick  broke  the 
traces  and  overturned  the  sun  itself,  and  Phaeton 
fell,  and  fell,  and  fell,  till  he  fell  into  the  sea 


144 

and  was  drowned.    And  then  the  horses  trotted 
quietly  home. 

The  Greeks  thought  that  the  great  desert  of 
Sahara,  in  Africa,  was  the  place  where  the  earth 
was  scorched  by  the  sun's  chariot  wheel. 

Who  was  the  father  of  Phaeton  ? 

What  did  Phaeton  ask  of  his  father  and  what  did  his 
father  say  ? 

How  did  Phaeton  have  his  own  way  ? 

What  happened  when  he  drove  the  chariot  of  the  sun  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Use  other  words  for  taunt,  chariot,  bolted,  scorched. 

2.  The  ie  in  chief  =  e  in  me.    Find  another  word  in  the 
story  where  ie  =  e.   What  sound  of  u  has  eau  in  beautiful  ? 
Give  another  word  in  the  story  which  has  the  sound  of  u. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
Phaeton  (fa'e  ton)  :  son  of  Apollo 
Clymene  (klim'e  ne)  :  mother  of  Phaeton 
Venus  (ve'nus)  :  goddess  of  beauty 
comets  (k5m'6ts)  :  heavenly  bodies  with  cloudy  tails 
planet  (planet)  :  a  heavenly  body,  as  the  sun,  moon 
Sahara  (sa  ha/ra) :  the  great  desert  of  Africa 
desert  (deVert)  :  a  large  tract  of  land  without  moisture 
or  plants 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
lighted  world  glory  aye 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


145 


A  LITTLE  HERO 

My  story  is  about  a  brave  little  boy  who 
worked  in  one  of  those  deep  coal  mines  which  are 
so  numerous  in  some  parts  of  Lancashire  and 
Yorkshire.  Very  often  these  mines  catch  fire, 
either  through  some  accident  or  through  the  care- 
lessness of  men.  If  a  naked  light  comes  in  contact 
with  the  gas  which  collects  in  the  mine,  there  is 
a  terrible  explosion,  and  often  loss  of  life. 

One  day  while  the  men  were  at  work  in  the 
coal  mine  the  gas  caught  fire,  and  the  noise 
of  the  flames  as  they  w^ent  hissing  and  roaring 
through  the  mine  was  like  that  of  a  furnace. 
A  little  wagon-boy  heard  the  noise  and  saw 
the  flames  coming  toward  him.  Quick  as  a  flash 


140 

he  turned  an  empty  wagon  upside  down  and 
crept  beneath  it. 

As  soon  as  the  flame  had  passed,  the  foul  air 
put  out  his  safety  lamp  and  left  him  in  the  dark. 
He  knew  that  if  he  breathed  that  air,  if  for  but 
a  few  minutes,  he  must  die, —  that  his  only 
chance  of  safety  was  in  reaching  the  bottom  of 
the  shaft  before  he  fainted.  The  shaft,  as  you 
know,  was  the  only  means  by  which  fresh  air 
could  be  supplied  to  the  mine. 

He  crept  from  under  the  wagon,  pulled  his 
flannel  cap  off  his  head,  thrust  it  into  his  mouth 
and  over  his  nostrils,  and  ran  for  life.  It  was 
an  awful  race  through  the  dark  mine,  over  the 
dead  and  dying  miners.  The  fire  had  thrown 
down  the  roof  of  the  mine  in  some  places,  and 
blocked  up  the  air  channels.  He  had  to  grope 
his  way  over  loaded  wagons,  dead  horses,  heaps 
of  coal,  and  dying  men. 

Often  he  fell  and  hurt  himself,  but  he  sprang 
to  his  feet  and  ran  again,  until  he  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  mine,  where  he  fell  down  fainting. 
The  fresh  air  from  the  shaft  soon  revived  him,  and 


147 

he  began  to  think  what  he  could  do  to  save  some 
of  the  other  poor  fellows  who  were  in  the  mine. 
As  he  groped  his  way  about  he  found  several 
who,  like  himself,  had  fainted.  They  lay  on  their 
backs,  breathing  heavily,  and  in  danger  of  dying 
for  want  of  fresh  air. 

He  turned  them  over  with  their  faces  toward 
the  bottom  of  the  shaft.  He  opened  the  air  chan- 
nels that  had  been  closed,  and  a  current  of  fresh 
air  fell  on  their  faces.  This  soon  revived  them, 
and  they  were  able  to  help  in  saving  others. 

The  noise  of  the  explosion  had  been  heard  by 
those  who  were  above,  and  men  came  down  with 
safety  lamps  to  see  what  had  happened  and  to 
give  what  help  they  could.  They  took  away  those 
of  the  miners  who  were  alive,  sending  them  to 
their  homes  as  quickly  as  possible.  When  they 
were  able  to  see  all  the  damage  which  the  fire 
had  done,  they  were  astonished  that  any  of  the 
men  had  been  brought  up  from  the  pit  alive. 

Soon  the  news  spread  that  it  was  the  little 
wagon-boy  who  had  been  the  means  of  saving  the 
lives  of  his  comrades  as  well  as  his  own.  Many 


148 


a  wife  and  mother  and  sister  thanked  the  brave 
little  fellow,  who  in  the  hour  of  danger  knew 
what  to  do  and  did  it  nobly. 

All  boys  cannot  have  the  chance  of  being  heroes 
in  the  way  Willie  Ashton  was,  but  in  some  other 
way  they  may  prove  their  right  to  this  name. 
Let  a  boy  stand  up  for  right,  and  dare  at  all 
times  to  do  right,  and  he  will  be  a  hero.  Let 
a  boy  deny  himself  for  the  sake  of  others,  or 
suffer  to  save  others,  and  he  will  be  a  hero. 


149 

Describe  a  fire  in  a  coal  mine. 

How  did  the  mine  boy  save  himself  ? 

How  did  he  save  others  ? 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire  are  counties  in  England. 
"  Naked  light "   means  an  uncovered  light.    Give   other 
words  for  collects,  foul.     Where  does  the  miner  wear  his 
safety  lamp  ?    Channels  are  large  tubes  through  which  the 
air  enters  the  mine.     Give  other  words  for  grope,  several, 
render.     The    mouth    of    the    mine    is    the    entrance    to 
the  mine.     Give   other  words  for  awful,  astonished,  and 
comrades. 

2.  What  two  letters  are  not  heard  in  caught,  brought, 
and  right. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
numerous  (nu'mer  us)  :   of  great  number 
accident  (ak'si  dent)  :  a  sudden  mishap 
contact  (kon'takt)  :  touch 
explosion  (Sks  plo'zhun)  :  a  loud  bursting 
supplied  (su  plid')  :  carried  to 
revived  (re  vivd')  :  brought  out  of  a  faint 
conscious  (kon'shus)  :  awake 
current  (kur'ent)  :   a  stream 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
worthy  first  often  knew  off 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


150 

THE  BOY  WHO  DID  NOT  KNOW  FEAR1 
ROBERT  SOUTHEY 

England  has  long  been  noted  for  her  sea 
power.  '  Britannia  rules  the  waves "  is  sung 
far  and  wide  by  the  English  people  who  loved 
to  honor  their  great  commanders. 

One  of  these  naval  heroes  was  Lord  Nelson. 
He  was  an  inspiration  to  his  sailors.  Before 
going  into  battle  he  thrilled  them  with  the  words, 
"England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty." 

At  all  times  he  was  fearless.  As  a  very  small 
boy  he  displayed  this  trait  of  character. 

One  day  he  went  with  a  cow-boy  in  search  of 
birds7  nests.  They  wandered  farther  and  farther 
into  the  woods.  Interested  in  their  hunt,  they 
were  unaware  that  they  had  gone  so  far  from 
home. 

The  dinner  hour  came.  Nelson  could  not  be 
found.  His  grandmother  became  frightened.  She 
was  afraid  that  he  might  have  been  carried  off 
by  gypsies. 

1  Adapted  from  "Life  of  Nelson." 


151 

After  men  had  searched  for  him  far  and  near, 
he  was  found  sitting  by  the  side  of  a  stream 
which  he  could  not  cross. 

When  he  was  taken  home  his  grandmother 
said  to  him,  "  Child,  I  wonder  that  hunger  and 
fear  did  not  drive  you  home." 

He  looked  up,  amazed.  'Fear!  grandmother," 
he  said,  'I  have  never  seen  fear;  wiiat  is  it?" 

Nelson  entered  the  navy  at  the  age  of  twelve. 
Not  long  afterwards  he  heard  that  two  ships 
were  being  fitted  out  for  a  voyage  toward  the 
north  pole.  Such  adventure  was  much  to  his 
liking,  so  he  joined  the  expedition. 

In  a  northern  bay  the  ships  became  ice-bound. 
The  sailors,  having  little  to  do,  played  upon 
the  ice. 

One  foggy  night  Nelson  and  one  of  his 
comrades  slipped  away  from  the  ship.  They 
encountered  a  bear.  The  next  morning,  when 
the  fog  had  cleared  away,  the  two  sailors  were 
seen  from  the  ship  attacking  the  bear. 

The  captain  signaled  to  them  to  return. 
Nelson's  comrade  obeyed  and  returned  at  once, 


152 


but  Nelson  would  not  go.  Although  his  powder 
supply  was  exhausted,  he  was  not  afraid  and 
he  did  not  want  to  quit  his  game. 

'  Never  mind/'  he  cried;  '  let  me  get  one 
blow  at  this  beast  with  the  butt  end  of  my 
musket  and  we  shall  have  him.77 

The  captain,  seeing  the  boy's  danger,  fired 
a  gun  and  frightened  the  bear  away. 

When  Nelson  returned  to  the  ship,  he  was 
reprimanded  by  the  captain  for  leaving  the  ship 
without  permission.  Then  he  was  questioned  as 
to  why  he  was  so  anxious  to  kill  the  bear. 

"  Sir,"  said  Nelson,  "  I  wished  to  kill  the 
bear  that  I  might  carry  the  skin  to  my  father." 


153 

Who  was  Lord  Nelson  ? 

For  what  was  he  noted  ? 

Tell  two  instances  of  his  fearlessness  when  a  boy. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  A  naval  hero  is  one  who  wins  honor  at  sea.    Give 
other  words  for  fearless,  displayed,  amazed.    Gypsies  are 
tribes  of  wanderers  who  beg,  trade  in  horses,  and  tell  for- 
tunes.    Give    other   words    for  comrades    and   quit.     The 
butt  end  of  a  musket  is  the  thick  end  or  handle ;  a  trait 
of  character   is  a  quality  of  one's  nature  or  disposition. 
Give  another  word  for  encountered. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ir  =  ur  in  urn  ;  ear  =  ur 
in  urn ;  and  ai  =  i  in  is. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
inspiration  (in  spi  ra'shun)  :  example  of  courage 
expedition  (£ks  pe  dish'un) :  a  journey  for  a  special 

purpose 
reprimanded  (rgp'rl  mancl  6d)  :  scolded 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
toward  joined  search  duty 

For  spelling  see  page  390. 


154 

ALICE'S  ADVENTURES  IN  WONDERLAND 

LEWIS  CARROLL 
DOWN  THE  KABBIT-HOLE 

Alice  was  beginning  to  get  very  tired  of 
sitting  by  her  sister  on  the  bank,  and  of  having 
nothing  to  do.  Once  or  twice  she  had  peeped 
into  the  book  her  sister  was  reading,  but  it  had 
no  pictures  or  conversations  in  it,  "  and  what 
is  the  use  of  a  book/7  thought  Alice,  :'  without 
pictures  or  conversations?  " 

So  she  was  considering  in  her  own  mind  as 
well  as  she  could,  for  the  hot  day  made  her 
feel  very  sleepy  and  stupid,  whether  the  pleasure 
of  making  a  daisy-chain  would  be  worth  the 
trouble  of  getting  up  and  picking  the  daisies, 
when  suddenly  a  White  Rabbit  with  pink  eyes 
ran  close  by  her. 

There  was  nothing  so  very  remarkable  in  that ; 
nor  did  Alice  think  it  so  very  much  out  of  the 
way  to  hear  the  Rabbit  say  to  itself,  "0  dear! 
0  dear!  I  shall  be  too  late!"  When  she 


155 

thought  it  over  afterward,  it  occurred  to  her 
that  she  ought  to  have  wondered  at  this,  but 
at  the  time  it  all  seemed  quite  natural.  But 
when  the  Rabbit  actually  took  a  watch  out  of 
its  waistcoat  pocket,  and  looked  at  it,  and  then 
hurried  on,  Alice  started  to  her  feet.  It  Hashed 
across  her  mind  that  she  had  never  before  seen 
a  Rabbit  with  either  a  waistcoat  pocket  or  a 
watch  to  take  out  of  it,  and,  burning  with 
curiosity,  she  ran  across  the  field  after  the 
Rabbit,  and  was  just  in  time  to  see  it  pop 
down  a  large  rabbit-hole  under  the  hedge. 
In  another  moment  down  went  Alice  after  it, 

never   once    considering    how    in    the  world    she 

1^ 
was  to  get  out  again. 

The  rabbit-hole  went  straight  on  like  a  tunnel 
for  some  way,  and  then  dipped  suddenly  down,  - 
so  suddenly  that  Alice  had  not  a  moment  to 
think  about  stopping  herself  before  she  found 
that  she  was  falling  down  what  seemed  to  be  a 
very  deep  well. 

Either    the    well    was    very    deep,   or  she  fell 
very  slowly,  for  she  had  plenty  of  time  as  she 


157 

went  down  to  look  about  her,  and  to  wonder 
what  was  going  to  happen  next.  First,  she 
tried  to  look  down  and  make  out  what  she  was 
coming  to,  but  it  was  too  dark  to  see  anything. 
Then  she  looked  at  the  sides  of  the  well,  and 
noticed  that  they  were  filled  with  cupboards 
and  bookshelves.  Here  and  there  she  saw  maps 
and  pictures  hung  upon  pegs.  She  took  down  a 
jar  from  one  of  the  shelves  as  she  passed ;  it  was 
labeled  "  ORANGE  MARMALADE,"  but  to  her  great 
disappointment  it  was  empty.  She  did  not  like 
to  drop  the  jar  for  fear  of  killing  somebody 
underneath,  so  managed  to  put  it  into  one  of 
the  cupboards  as  she  fell  past  it. 

"Well!"  thought  Alice  to  herself,  "after 
such  a  fall  as  this,  I  shall  think  nothing  of 
tumbling  downstairs !  How  brave  they'll  all 
think  me  at  home!  Why,  I  wouldn't  say  any- 
thing about  it-,  even  if  I  fell  off  the  top  of 
the  house !  " 

Down,  down,  down !  Would  the  fall  never 
come  to  an  end?  'I  wonder  how  many  miles 
I've  fallen  by  this  time,"  she  said  aloud. 


158 

'  1  must  be  getting  somewhere  near  the  center 
of  the  earth.  Let  me  see :  that  would  be  four 
thousand  miles  down,  I  think-  '  (for,  you  see, 
Alice  had  learned  several  things  of  this  sort 
in  her  lessons  in  the  schoolroom.  Though  this 
was  not  a  very  good  opportunity  for  showing 
off  her  knowledge,  as  there  was  no  one  to  listen 
to  her,  still  it  was  good  practice  to  say  it  over) 
-  yes,  that  's  about  the  right  distance  -  -  but 
then  I  wonder  what  latitude  or  longitude  I've 
got  to."  Alice  had  no  idea  what  latitude  was 
or  longitude  either,  but  she  thought  they  were 
nice,  grand  words  to  say. 

Soon  she  began  again.  '  I  wonder  if  I  shall 
fall  right  through  the  earth.  How  funny  it'll 
seem  to  come  out  among  people  that  walk  with 
their  heads  downward !  The  Antipathies,  I 
think-  '  (she  was  rather  glad  there  was  no 
one  listening  this  time,  as  it  didn't  sound  at 
all  the  right  word)  '  -but  I  shall  have  to  ask 
them  what  the  name  of  the  country  is,  you 
know.  '  Please,  Ma'am,  is  this  New  Zealand  or 
Australia  ? '  (And  she  tried  to  curtsy  as  she 


159 

spoke  -  -  fancy  curtsying  as  you're  falling  through 
the  air!  Do  you  think  you  could  manage  it?) 
:'  And  what  an  ignorant  little  girl  she'll  think  me 
for  asking !  No,  it'll  never  do  to  ask ;  perhaps 
I  shall  see  it  written  up  somewhere.7' 

Down,  down,  down!    There  was  nothing  else 
to    do,    so     Alice     soon    began     talking    again. 

'  Dinah'll  miss  me  very  much  tonight,  I  should 
think !  "  (Dinah  was  the  cat.)  '  I  hope  they'll 
remember  her  saucer  of  milk  at  tea-time.  Dinah, 
my  dear,  I  wish  you  were  down  here  with  me ! 
There  are  no  mice  in  the  air,  I'm  afraid,  but  you 
might  catch  a  bat,  and  that 's  very  like  a  mouse, 
you  know.  But  do  cats  eat  bats,  I  wonder?  " 

Here  Alice  began  to  get  very  sleepy,  and  went 
on   saying  to  herself,  in  a  dreamy  sort  of  way, 

'Do  cats  eat  bats?  do  cats  eat  bats?"  and 
sometimes,  'Do  bats  eat  cats?"  For,  you  see, 
as  she  couldn't  answer  either  question,  it  didn't 
much  matter  which  way  she  put  it.  She  felt 
that  she  was  dozing  off,  and  had  just  begun  to 
dream  that  she  was  walking  hand  in  hand  with 
Dinah,  and  was  saying  to  her  very  earnestly, 


160 


"  Now,  Dinah,  tell  me  the  truth :  did  you  ever 
eat  a  bat?7'  when  suddenly,  thump!  thump! 
thump !  down  she  came  upon  a  heap  of  sticks 
and  dry  leaves,  and  the  fall  was  over. 

Alice  was  not  a  bit  hurt,  and  she  jumped  to 
her  feet  in  a  moment.  She  looked  up,  but  it 
was  all  dark  overhead.  Before  her  was  another 
long  passage,  and  the  White  Kabbit  was  still 
in  sight,  hurrying  down  it.  There  was  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost.  Away  went  Alice  like  the 
wind,  and  was  just  in  time  to  hear  the  Rabbit 
say,  as  it  turned  a  corner,  "  0  my  ears  and 
whiskers,  how  late  it's  getting! ';  She  was  close 


161 

behind  it  when  she  turned  the  corner,  but  the 
Eabbit  was  no  longer  to  be  seen.  She  found  her- 
self in  a  long,  low  hall,  which  was  lighted  up 
by  a  row  of  lamps  hanging  from  the  roof. 

There  were  doors  all  round  the  hall,  but 
they  were  all  locked.  When  Alice  had  been  all 
the  way  down  one  side  and  up  the  other,  try- 
ing every  door,  she  walked  sadly  down  the 
middle,  wondering  how  she  was  ever  to  get 
out  again. 

Suddenly  she  came  upon  a  little  three-legged 
table,  all  made  of  solid  glass.  There  was  noth- 
ing on  it  except  a  tiny  golden  key,  and  Alice's 
first  thought  was  that  this  might  belong  to  one 
of  the  doors  of  the  hall;  but  alas!  either  the 
locks  were  too  large  or  the  key  was  too  small, 
but  at  any  rate  it  would  not  open  any  of  them. 
However,  on  the  second  time  round,  she  came 
upon  a  low  curtain  she  had  not  noticed  before, 
and  behind  it  was  a  little  door  about  fifteen 
inches  high.  She  tried  the  little  golden  key  in 
the  lock,  and  to  her  great  delight  it  fitted ! 

Alice  opened  the   door  and  found  that  it  led 


162 

into  a  small  passage,  not  much  larger  than  a 
rat-hole.  She  knelt  down  and  looked  along  the 
passage  into  the  loveliest  garden  you  ever  saw. 
How  she  longed  to  get  out  of  that  dark  hall  and 
wander  about  among  those  beds  of  bright  flowers 
and  those  cool  fountains !  But  she  could  not  even 
get  her  head  through  the  doorway.  ("And  even 
if  my  head  would  go  through/'  thought  poor 
Alice,  "  it  would  be  of  very  little  use  without  my 
shoulders.  Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  shut  up  like 
a  telescope !  I  think  I  could,  if  I  only  knew  howr 
to  begin.")  For,  you  see,  so  many  out-of-the-way 
things  had  happened  lately  that  Alice  had  begun 
to  think  that  few  things  were  really  impossible. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  use  in  waiting  by  the 
little  door,  so  she  went  back  to  the  table,  half 
hoping  she  might  find  another  key  on  it,  or  a  book 
of  rules  for  shutting  people  up  like  telescopes. 
This  time  she  found  a  little  bottle  on  it  ("  which 
certainly  was  not  here  before,"  said  Alice),  and 
tied  round  the  neck  of  the  bottle  was  a  paper 
label  with  the  words  "DRINK  ME"  beautifully 
printed  on  it  in  large  letters. 


163 

It  was  all  very  well  to  say  "  Drink  me,"  but 
the  wise  little  Alice  was  not  going  to  do  that  in  a 
hurry.  :'JS"o,  I'll  look  first,"  she  said,  "and  see 
whether  it's  marked  'poison'  or  not."  For  she 
had  read  several  nice  little  stories  about  children 
who  had  got  burned,  and  eaten  up  by  wild  beasts, 
and  other  unpleasant  things,  all  because  they 
would  not  remember  the  simple  rules  their  friends 
had  taught  them,  such  as,  that  a  red-hot  poker 
will  burn  you  if  you  hold  it  too  long;  and  that, 
if  you  cut  your  finger  very  deeply  with  a  knife,  it 
usually  bleeds ;  and  she  had  never  forgotten  that, 
if  you  drink  from  a  bottle  marked  "  poison,"  it  is 
almost  certain  to  disagree  with  you,  sooner  or  later. 

However,  this  bottle  was  not  marked  "  poison," 
so  Alice  tasted  it,  and,  finding  it  very  nice  (it 
had  a  sort  of  mixed  flavor  of  cherry-tart,  custard, 
pineapple,  roast  turkey,  toffy,  and  hot  buttered 
toast),  she  very  soon  finished  it  off. 

'  What  a  curious  feeling !  "  said  Alice.  '  I  must 
be  shutting  up  like  a  telescope." 

And  so  it  was  indeed.    She  was  now  only  ten 


164 

inches  high,  and  her  face  brightened  up  at  the 
thought  that  she  was  now  the  right  size  for  going 
through  the  little  door  into  that  lovely  garden. 
First,  however,  she  wraited  for  a  few  minutes  to 
see  if  she  was  going  to  shrink  any  further.  She 
felt  a  little  nervous  about  this,  "  for  it  might  end, 
you  know,"  said  Alice  to  herself,  "in  my  going 
out  altogether,  like  a  candle.  I  wonder  what  I 
should  be  like  then.  r<  And  she  tried  to  think 
what  the  flame  of  a  candle  looks  like  after  the 
candle  is  blown  out,  for  she  could  not  remember 
ever  having  seen  such  a  thing. 

After  a  while,  finding  that  nothing  more  hap- 
pened, she  decided  to  go  into  the  garden  at  once. 
But,  alas  for  poor  Alice !  when  she  got  to  the 
door,  she  found  that  she  had  forgotten  the  little 
golden  key,  and  when  she  wrent  back  to  the  table 
for  it,  she  found  she  could  not  possibly  reach  it. 
She  could  see  it  quite  plainly  through  the  glass, 
and  she  tried  her  best  to  climb  up  one  of  the 
legs  of  the  table,  but  it  wTas  too  slippery,  and 
when  she  had  tired  herself  out  with  trying,  the 
poor  little  thing  sat  down  and  cried. 


165 

"  Come,  there's  no  use  in  crying  like  that!7' 
said  Alice  to  herself,  sharply.  '  I  advise  you  to 
stop  this  minute  !':  She  generally  gave  herself 
very  good  advice  (though  she  very  seldom  followed 
it),  and  sometimes  she  scolded  herself  so  severely 
as  to  bring  tears  into  her  eyes,  and  she  remem- 
bered once  trying  to  box  her  own  ears  for  having 
cheated  herself  in  a  game  of  croquet  she  was 
playing  against  herself ;  for  this  curious  child  was 
very  fond  of  pretending  to  be  two  people.  "But 
it 's  no  use  now,"  thought  poor  Alice,  "  to  pretend 
to  be  two  people !  Why,  there  's  hardly  enough 
of  me  left  to  make  one  respectable  person !  r> 

Soon  her  eye  fell  on  a  little  glass  box  that 
was  lying  under  the  table.  She  opened  it,  and 
found  in  it  a  very  small  cake,  on  which  the  words 
"EAT  ME"  were  beautifully  marked  in  currants. 
"Well,  I'll  eat  it,"  said  Alice,  "and  if  it  makes 
me  grow  larger,  I  can  reach  the  key,  and  if  it 
makes  me  grow  smaller,  I  can  creep  under  the 
door;  so  either  way,  I'll  get  into  the  garden,  and 
I  don't  care  which  happens !  " 

She    ate    a   little    bit   and    said    anxiously    to 


166 

herself,  "Which  way?  which  way?"  holding  her 
hand  on  top  of  her  head  to  feel  which  way  it  was 
growing,  and  she  was  quite  surprised  to  find  that 
she  remained  the  same  size.  To  be  sure,  this  is 
what  generally  happens  when  one  eats  cake,  but 
Alice  had  got  so  much  into  the  way  of  expecting 
out-of-the-way  things  to  happen  that  it  seemed 
quite  dull  and  stupid  for  life  to  go  on  in  the 
common  way. 

So  she  set  to  work,  and  soon  finished  the  cake. 

What  made  Alice  curious  about  the  Rabbit  ? 
Where  did  the  Rabbit  lead  her  ? 
What  did  Alice  think  about  during  her  fall  ? 
What  did  she  find  when  the  fall  was  over  ? 

HELPS   TO  STUDY 

1.  "Burning  with  curiosity"  means  very  anxious  to 
know.  Latitude  is  the  distance  north  or  south  of  the 
equator.  The  equator  is  an  imaginary  line  around  the 
center  of  the  earth.  Longitude  is  the  distance  east  or 
west  from  a  given  point  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
The  right  word  for  antipathies  is  antipodes,  and  it  means 
the  country  of  those  living  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
globe.  New  Zealand :  a  country  belonging  to  England. 
Find  it  on  the  map.  Australia :  a  country  belonging  to 
England.  Find  it  on  the  map. 


167 

2.  What  sound  has  ee  in  deep?  What  sound  has  eo  in 
people?  What  sound  has  ey  in  key?  What  sound  has  a 
in  watch?  What  sound  has  o  in  lock?  In  knowledge, 
ow  =  6  in  flock. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
occurred  (o  kurd')  :  came  to  mind 
natural  (nat'u  ral)  :  usual 
actually  (ak'tu  al  I)  :  really 
waistcoat  (wast'kot):  a  sleeveless  jacket  worn  under  the 

coat 

curiosity  (ku  ri  5s'i  ti)  :  desire  to  know 
considering  (kon  sid'er  ing)  :  thinking 
cupboards  (kub'erds) :  closets  with  shelves 
opportunity  (5p  or  tu'ni  ti)  :  chance 
knowledge  (nftl'Sj)  :  wisdom,  learning 
curtsying  (kurt'si  ing)  :  bowing  with  bent  knee 
ignorant  (ig'no  rant)  :  untaught 
earnestly  (ur'ngst  li)  :  seriously 
loveliest  (Itiv'li  8st)  :  most  beautiful 
telescope  (tel'e  skop)  :  an  instrument  for  viewing  the  sky 
severely  (se  ver'li)  :  sharply,  bitterly 
anxiously  (ank'shus  li)  :  uneasily 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
croquet  first 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


168 


THE  POOL  OF  TEARS 

"  Curiouser  and  curiouser!"  cried  Alice  (she 
was  so  much  surprised  that  for  the  moment  she 
quite  forgot  how  to  speak  good  English).  :'  Now 
I'm  opening  out  like  the  largest  telescope  that 
ever  was !  Good-by,  feet !  "'  (For  when  she  looked 
down  at  her  feet  they  seemed  to  be  almost  out 
of  sight,  they  were  getting  so  far  off.)  "  Oh,  my 
poor  little  feet,  I  wonder  who  will  put  on  your 
shoes  and  stockings  for  you  now,  dears.  I'm 
sure  7  shan't  be  able !  I  shall  be  a  great  deal 
too  far  off  to  trouble  myself  about  you :  you  must 


169 

manage  the  best  way  you  can.  But  I  must  be  kind 
to  them/'  thought  Alice,  "or  perhaps  they  won't 
walk  the  way  I  want  to  go.  Let  me  see :  I'll 
give  them  a  new  pair  of  boots  every  Christmas." 
And  she  went  on  planning  to  herself  how  she 
would  manage  it.  '  They  must  go  by  the  carrier," 
she  thought;  "and  howT  funny  it'll  seem,  sending 
presents  to  one's  own  feet!  And  how  odd  the 
directions  will  look : 

Alices  Right  Foot,  Esq. 

Hearthrug 
(With  Alice's  Love]          near  the  Fender 

0  dear,  what  nonsense  I'm  talking!  " 

Just  at  this  moment  her  head  struck  against  the 
roof  of  the  hall.  In  fact,  she  was  now  rather  more 
than  nine  feet  high,  and  she  at  once  took  up  the 
little  golden  key  and  hurried  off  to  the  garden  door. 

Poor  Alice !  It  was  as  much  as  she  could  do, 
lying  down  on  one  side,  to  look  through  into 
the  garden  with  one  eye ;  but  to  get  through  was 
more  hopeless  than  ever.  She  sat  down  and 
began  to  cry  again. 


M7 


170 

'You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself,"  said 
Alice,  "  a  great  girl  like  you  to  go  on  crying  in  this 
way!  Stop  this  moment,  I  tell  you! 7:  But  she 
weiA  on  all  the  same,  shedding  gallons  of  tears, 
until  there  was  a  large  pool  all  round  her,  about 
four  inches  deep,  and  reaching  half  down  the  hall. 

After  a  time  she  heard  a  little  pattering  of  feet 
in  the  distance,  and  she  hastily  dried  her  eyes  to 
see  what  was  coming.  It  was  the  White  Rabbit 
returning,  splendidly  dressed,  with  a  pair  of  white 
kid  gloves  in  one  hand  and  a  large  fan  in  the  other. 
He  came  trotting  along  in  a  great  hurry,  mutter- 
ing to  himself  as  he  came,  "  Oh !  the  Duchess,  the 
Duchess !  Oh !  won't  she  be  savage  if  I've  kept 
her  waiting!" 

Alice  felt  so  desperate  that  she  was  ready  to 
ask  help  of  any  one ;  so,  when  the  Rabbit  came 
near  her,  she  began,  in  a  low,  timid  voice,  '  If 
you  please,  sir- 

The  Rabbit  started  violently,  dropped  the  white 
kid  gloves  and  the  fan,  and  scurried  away  into 
the  darkness  as  hard  as  he  could  go. 

Alice  took  up  the  fan  and  gloves,  and,  as  the 


171 

hall  was  very  hot,  she  kept  fanning  herself  all 
the  time  she  went  on  talking.  '  Dear,  dear!  how 
queer  everything  is  today !  And  yesterday  things 
went  on  just  as  usual.  I  wonder  if  I've  been 
changed  in  the  night.  Let  me  think:  was  I  the 
same  when  I  got  up  this  morning?  I  almost  think 
I  can  remember  feeling  a  little  different.  But  if 
I'm  not  the  same,  the  next  question  is,  Who  in  the 
world  am  I?  Ah,  that  Js  the  great  puzzle  !  "  And 
she  began  thinking  over  all  the  children  she  knew 
that  were  of  the  same  age  as  herself,  to  see  if  she 
could  have  been  Changed  for  any  of  them. 

Tin  sure  I'm  not  Ada,"  she  said,  "  f or  her 
hair  goes  in  such  long  ringlets,  and  mine  doesn't 
go  in  ringlets  at  all.  And  I'm  sure  I  can't  be 
Mabel,  for  I  know  all  sorts  of  things,  and  she, 
oh  !  she  knows  such  a  very  little  !  Besides,  she  's 
she,  and  Pm  I,  and--0  dear,  how  puzzling  it 
all  is !  I'll  try  if  I  know  all  the  things  I  used  to 
know.  Let  me  see  :  four  times  five  is  twelve,  and 
four  times  six  is  thirteen,  and  four  times  seven 
is  -  -  0  dear !  I  shall  never  get  to  twenty  at  that 
rate.  However,  the  multiplication  table  doesn't 


172 

signify ;  let's  try  geography.  London  is  the  cap- 
ital of  Paris,  and  Paris  is  the  capital  of  Rome, 
and  Rome --no,  that's  all  wrong,  I'm  certain!  I 
must  have  been  changed  for  Mabel.  I'll  try  and 
say  *  How  doth  the  little  -  And  she  crossed 
her  hands  on  her  lap,  as  if  she  were  saying  les- 
sons, and  began  to  repeat  it.  But  her  voice 
sounded  hoarse  and  strange,  and  the  words  did 
not  come  the  same  as  they  used  to  do : 

"  How  doth  the  little  crocodile 

Improve  his  shining  tail, 
And  pour  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
On  every  golden  scale ! 

"  How  cheerfully  he  seems  to  grin, 
How  neatly  spreads  his  claws, 
And  welcomes  little  fishes  in 
With  gently  smiling  jaws  ! 

'  I'm  sure  those  are  not  the  right  words,"  said 
poor  Alice,  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears  again 
as  she  went  on :  "I  must  be  Mabel  after  all,  and  I 
shall  have  to  go  and  live  in  that  poky  little  house, 
and  have  next  to  no  toys  to  play  with,  and  oh, 
ever  so  many  lessons  to  learn!  No,  I've  made 


173 


up  my  mind  about  it :  if  I'm  Mabel,  I'll  stay  down 
here!  It'll  be  no  use  their  putting  their  heads 
down  and  saying,  '  Come  up  again,  dear !  '  I  shall 
only  look  up  and  say,  '  Who  am  I,  then  ?  Tell 
me  that  first,  and  then,  if  I  like  being  that  person, 
I'll  come  up ;  if  not,  I'll  stay  down  here  till  I'm 
somebody  else.'  But,  0  dear!  "  cried  Alice,  with  a 
sudden  burst  of  tears,  "  I  do  wish  they  would  put 
their  heads  down !  I  am  so  very  tired  of  being 
all  alone  here ! ': 

As  she  said  this  she  looked  down  at  her  hands, 
and  was  surprised  to  see  that  she  had  put  on  one 
of  the  Rabbit's  little  white  kid  gloves  while  she 
was  talking.  'How  can  I  have  done  that?" 
she  thought.  "  I  must  be  growing  small  again." 


174 

She  got  up  and  went  to  the  table  to  measure  her- 
self by  it,  and  found  that,  as  nearly  as  she  could 
guess,  she  was  now  about  two  feet  high,  and  was 
going  on  shrinking  rapidly.  She  soon  found  out 
that  the  cause  of  this  was  the  fan  she  was  hold- 
ing, and  she  dropped  it  hastily,  just  in  time  to 
avoid  shrinking  awray  altogether. 

'  That  was  a  narrow  escape !  r'  said  Alice,  a 
good  deal  frightened  at  the  sudden  change,  but 
very  glad  to  find  herself  still  there.  "  And  now 
for  the  garden !  r'  She  ran  with  all  speed  back 
to  the  little  door ;  but  alas !  the  little  door  was 
shut  again,  and  the  little  golden  key  was  lying 
on  the  glass  table  as  before.  '  Things  are  worse 
than  ever,"  thought  the  poor  child,  "for  I  never 
was  so  small  as  this  before,  never !  And  I 
declare  it 's  too  bad,  that  it  is !  " 

As  she  said  these  words  her  foot  slipped,  and 
in  another  moment,  splash!  she  was  up  to  her 
chin  in  salt  water.  Her  first  idea  was  that  she 
had  somehow  fallen  into  the  sea.  "  And  in  that 
case  I  can  go  back  by  railway/'  she  said  to  her- 
self. Alice  had  been  to  the  seaside  once  in  her 


175 

life,  and  thought  that,  wherever  you  go  on  the 
English  coast,  you  find  a  number  of  bathing- 
machines  in  the  sea,  some  children  digging  in 
the  sand  with  wooden  spades,  then  a  row  of 
lodging-houses,  and  behind  them  a  railway  sta- 
tion. However,  she  soon  made  out  that  she  was 
in  the  pool  of  tears  which  she  had  wept  when 
she  was  nine  feet  high. 

'  I  wish  I  hadn't  cried  so  much  !  "  said  Alice, 
as  she  swam  about,  trying  to  find  her  way  out. 
'  I  shall  be  punished  for  it  now,  I  suppose,  by 
being  drowned  in  my  own  tears !  That  will  be 
a  queer  thing,  to  be  sure !  However,  everything 
is  queer  today.77 

Just  then  she  heard  something  splashing  about 
in  the  pool  a  little  way  off,  and  she  swam  nearer 
to  make  out  what  it  was.  At  first  she  thought 
it  must  be  a  walrus  or  hippopotamus,  but  then 
she  remembered  how  small  she  was  now,  and  she 
soon  made  out  that  it  was  only  a  mouse,  that  had 
slipped  in  like  herself. 

'Would    it    be    of    any    use,    now,"    thought 
Alice,    "  to    speak    to    this    mouse?    Everything 


176 

is  so  out-of-the-way  down  here  that  I  should 
think  very  likely  it  can  talk.  At  any  rate, 
there's  no  harm  in  trying. "  So  she  began:  "0 
Mouse,  do  you  know  the  way  out  of  this  pool? 
I  am  very  tired  of  swimming  about  here,  0 
Mouse !  "  Alice  thought  this  must  be  the  right 
way  of  speaking  to  a  mouse.  She  had  never 
done  such  a  thing  before,  but  she  remembered 
having  seen  in  her  brother's  Latin  grammar, 
'  A  mouse  --  of  a  mouse  -  -  to  a  mouse  —  a  mouse 
-  0  mouse ! "  The  mouse  looked  at  her,  and 
seemed  to  her  to  wink  with  one  of  its  little 
eyes,  but  it  said  nothing. 

'Perhaps  it  doesn't  understand  English," 
thought  Alice ;  'I  dare  say  it 's  a  French  mouse, 
come  over  with  William  the  Conqueror. "  So  she 
began  again:  '  Ou  cst  ma  chatte?"  which  was 
the  first  sentence  in  her  French  lesson-book. 
The  mouse  gave  a  sudden  leap  out  of  the  water, 
and  seemed  to  quiver  all  over  with  fright.  "  Oh, 
I  beg  your  pardon !  "  cried  Alice  hastily,  afraid 
that  she  had  hurt  the  poor  animal's  feelings. 
'  I  quite  forgot  you  didn't  like  cats." 


177 

"Not  like  cats!'  cried  the  mouse  in  a  shrill 
voice.  '  Would  you  like  cats  if  you  were  me?" 

'Well,  perhaps  not,7'  said  Alice,  in  a  soothing 
voice.  '  Don't  be  angry  about  it.  And  yet  I 
wish  I  could  show  you  our  cat  Dinah.  I  think 
you'd  take  a  fancy  to  cats  if  you  could  only  see 
her.  She  is  such  a  dear,  quiet  thing,  and  she 
sits  purring  so  nicely  by  the  fire,  licking  her 
paws  and  washing  her  face.  She  is  such  a  nice, 
soft  thing  to  nurse  -  -  and  she  ?s  such  a  capital 
one  for  catching  mice  -  -  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon!  " 
cried  Alice  again,  for  this  time  the  mouse  was 
bristling  all  over,  and  she  felt  certain  it  must 
be  really  angry.  '  We  won't  talk  about  her  if 
you'd  rather  not." 

'  Wre  indeed ! "  cried  the  mouse,  who  was 
trembling  down  to  the  end  of  his  tail.  "  As 
if  7  would  talk  on  such  a  subject !  Our  family 
always  hated  cats --nasty,  low,  vulgar  things! 
Don't  let  me  hear  the  name  again!" 

*  I  won't  indeed ! "  said  Alice,  in  a  great 
hurry  to  change  the  subject.  '  Are  you --are 
you  fond --of --of  dogs?"  The  mouse  did  not 


178 

answer,  so  Alice  went  on :  '  There  is  such  a 
nice  little  dog  near  our  house  I  should  like  to 
show  you !  A  little  bright-eyed  terrier,  you  know, 
with  oh !  such  long,  curly  brown  hair !  And  it'll 
fetch  things  when  you  throw  them,  and  it'll  sit 
up  and  beg  for  its  dinner,  and  all  sorts  of  things  - 
I  can't  remember  half  of  them  -  -  and  it  belongs 
to  a  farmer,  you  know.  He  says  it 's  so  useful, 
it 's  worth  a  hundred  pounds !  He  says  it  kills 
all  the  rats  and--0  dear!';  cried  Alice,  in  a 
sorrowful  tone,  "  I'm  afraid  I've  hurt  it  again !  " 
For  the  mouse  was  swimming  away  from,  her  as 
hard  as  it  could  go,  and  making  quite  a  com- 
motion in  the  pool  as  it  went. 

So  she  called  softly  after  it:  :'  Mouse  dear! 
Do  come  back  again,  and  we  won't  talk  about 
cats  or  dogs  either,  if  you  don't  like  them ! ': 
When  the  mouse  heard  this,  it  turned  round 
and  swam  slowly  back  to  her.  Its  face  was 
quite  pale,  and  it  said  in  a  low,  trembling 
voice,  '  Let  us  get  to  the  shore,  and  then  I'll 
tell  you  my  history,  and  you'll  understand  why 
it  is  I  hate  cats  and  dogs." 


180 

It  was  high  time  to  go,  for  the  pool  was  getting 
quite  crowded  with  the  birds  and  animals  that 
had  fallen  into  it.  There  were  a  Duck  and  a 
Dodo,  a  Lory  and  an  Eaglet,  and  several  other 
curious  creatures.  Alice  led  the  way,  and  the 
whole  party  swam  to  the  shore. 

Why  did  Alice  shed  gallons  of  tears  ? 
Why  did  she   say  over  the  multiplication  table  and 
other  lessons  ? 

What  company  did  Alice  have  in  the  pool  ? 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  "  Curiouser  and  curiouser  "  in  good  English  is  "  more 
and   more   curious."    Give    other   words    for   carrier   and 
ringlets.    "Scurried    away"    means    ran   away    quickly; 
''doesn't  signify"  means  doesn't  count  or  matter.  William 
the  Conqueror  was  a  king  of  England  about  1066.   A  hun- 
dred pounds  in  English  money  is  five  hundred  dollars  in 
United   States   money.    A  dodo  was  a  large,  heavy  bird 
of   former    times ;    it  did   not    fly.    A  lory  is    a  sort   of 
parrot. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ea  in  head.    Give  the  sound  of  e 
in  best.    Give  the  sound  of  ue  in  guess.    Find  other  words 
in  the  story  that  have  the  sound  of  e.    Find  a  word  in 
the  story  where  ey  =  e. 


181 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

directions  (di  rek'shuns)  :  name  and  residence  of  a  person 

to  whom  anything  is  sent 
hastily  (has'ti  li)  :  quickly 
duchess  (duch'e's)  :  the  wife  of  a  duke 
savage  (saVaj)  :  angry 
desperate  (deVper  at)  :  hopeless,  tired 
as  usual  (u'zhu  al)  :  as  always 
different  (clif  er  ent)  :  not  the  same 
multiplication  (mill  ti  pli  ka/shun)  table :   a  table  of  the 

products  of  a  set  of  numbers  multiplied  in  some  regular 

way 

geography  (je  Sg'ra  fi)  :  study  of  the  earth 
measure  (mgzh'ur)  :  to  lay  off  or  mark  the  size  of 
declare  (de  klar')  :  to  say 
walrus  (wol'rus)  :  a  very  large  sea  animal 
hippopotamus   (hip  o  pbVa  mus)  :     a    very    large    animal, 

sometimes  called  a  river  horse 
grammar  (grander)  :  the  study  of  speech 
vulgar  (vul'gar)  :   common 
commotion  (ko  mo'shun)  :  stir 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  '• 
person  either  burst  learn  sir 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


182 


THE  VISION  OF  THE  MARNE 

At  the  beginning  of  September,  1914,  the 
German  hordes  had  swept  through  the  little 
country  of  Belgium  and  the  richest  part  of 
France.  The  great  city  of  Paris  seemed  doomed 
to  be  taken  by  the  merciless  soldiers.  The  way 
was  barred  only  by  a  wearied  body  of  French 
and  British  which  had  fallen  back  day  after  day 
until  it  seemed  powerless  to  stop  the  invader. 

At  last,  on  the  banks  of  the  little  river  Marne, 
the  defenders  made  a  stand,  resolved  to  die 
rather  than  to  give  ground.  Again  and  again 
the  French  and  British  charged,  until  they  broke 
the  German  line  and  saved  their  beloved  city. 

After  the  battle  it  was  said  by  many  French 
soldiers  that  in  the  fiercest  of  the  fight  they 
saw  with  them  a  maiden  clad  in  armor  and 
riding  a  white  horse ;  and  that  this  vision  gave 
them  the  hope  of  victory.  The  Maid  of  Orleans 
was  still  living  in  the  hearts  of  the  French 
whose  country  she  had  been  the  means  of 
saving  five  hundred  years  before. 


183 

Four  years  later  the  German  long-range  cannon 
sent  their  shells  into  the  heart  of  Paris,  and 
the  German  army  again  reached  the  Marne. 
This  time  a  new  army  stood  beside  the  French 
and  advanced  with  them  until  France  was  at 
last  free.  The  Americans  shared  with  the 
French  their  love  of  the  Maid.  Many  of  our 
soldiers  had  been  in  Lorraine  and  had  seen  the 
cottage  where  Joan  was  born,  and  the  neigh- 
boring church,  and  the  garden  where  she  heard 
the  voices  calling  to  her  to  help  her  king 
and  country. 

JOAN  OF  AEC 

When  Henry  VI  of  England  was  crowned 
king  of  France,  Joan  of  Arc  was  a  little  girl, 
helping  her  mother  about  the  house  and  watch- 
ing the  sheep  for  her  father. 

Charles,  the  real  heir  to  the  throne,  was  too 
lazy  to  help  his  people.  He  was  a  coward, 
too,  and  afraid  to  be  crowned. 

Though  Joan  was  only  a  little  girl,  she  thought 
she  might  help  to  save  her  country  if  she  could 
but  speak  to  the  king. 


185 

Her  father  told  her  to  remain  at  home,  but 
Joan  thought  that  she  must  go  to  the  king. 
Her  uncle  and  some  of  her  friends  believed  in 
her  and  helped  her  on  the  way. 

It  was  not  easy  for  a  simple  little  peasant 
girl  to  get  an  audience  with  the  king.  He  did 
not  want  to  see  her. 

At  last  Joan  was  granted  a  hearing  at  court. 
The  king  tried  to  deceive  her  by  dressing  in 
much  plainer  clothes  than  his  kingly  robes. 
Although  Joan  had  never  seen  her  king,  she 
could  not  be  deceived. 

In  the  midst  of  the  gayly  dressed  princes  and 
princesses  of  his  court,  Joan  recognized  the 
king.  Kneeling  at  his  feet,  she  told  him  that 
she  was  sent  with  a  message  from  Heaven  that 
he  should  be  crowned  king  of  France. 

Joan  endured  many  hardships,  but  finally  she 
succeeded  in  getting  the  command  of  an  army. 
Clad  in  armor,  and  wearing  a  helmet  of  steel, 
she  rode  forth  at  its  head.  She  was  armed 
with  the  sword  of  Charles  Martel,  and  her  white 
banner  was  embroidered  with  lilies. 


M; 


186 

Everywhere  she  was  welcomed  with  joy. 
People  crowded  around  her  just  to  touch  her 
armor.  She  inspired  the  soldiers  with  courage, 
and  when  she  led  them  into  battle,  they 
were  victorious. 

Charles  was  crowrned  king  in  that  great 
cathedral  of  France  which  is  now  in  ruins. 
Beside  him  stood  Joan  of  Arc.  Then  she  knelt 
at  his  feet.  Now  that  he  was  king  of  France 
she  was  happy. 

But  Joan  did  not  put  off  her  armor  and 
return  to  her  home.  The  king  would  not  tight 
his  own  battles,  and  he  had  many  enemies. 
Joan  was  faithful.  She  led  the  armies  of  the 
king  until  she  was  captured  and  taken  prisoner. 

After  cruel  tortures,  she  was  taken  from 
prison  and  burned  at  the  stake,  in  May,  1431. 
Joan  was  executed  because  she  was  thought  to 
be  a  witch.  The  people  of  France  love  the 
memory  of  Joan  of  Arc,  and  they  delight  to 
honor  her. 


187 

Who  were  the  defenders  in  the  first  battle  of  the  Marne  ? 

During  the  battle,  what  gave  the  soldiers  the  hope  of 
victory  ? 

Who  were  the  defenders  in  the  second  battle  of  the 
Marne  ? 

How  did  the  simple  peasant  girl  believe  she  could  help 
her  country  ? 

What  made  the  king  think  that  Joan  had  a  message 
from  Heaven? 

How  did  the  girl  lead  the  soldiers? 

Did  she  succeed  ?    Tell  about  it. 

What  was  the  fate  of  the  maiden  soldier? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Hordes  means  crowds  of  soldiers;  "doomed  to  be 
taken,"  certain  to  be  taken;  plundered,  robbed.  Give 
other  words  for  barred,  ivearied.  Invader  means  one  who 
attacks ;  resolved,  decided.  Give  other  words  for  clad, 
vision,  advanced,  neighboring.  An  audience  means  a  hearing. 
Give  other  words  for  recognized,  hardship.  Charles  Martel 
was  a  French  hero.  He  was  born  in  688  and  died  in  741. 
His  sword,  which  had  been  buried  in  the  ground  behind 
an  old  church,  was  the  one  carried  by  Joan  of  Arc  seven 
hundred  years  later.  "  Inspired  the  soldiers  with  courage  " 
means  filled  them  with  courage.  Victorious  means  having 
gained  victory.  Give  another  word  for  ca^)tured.  Tortures 
means  punishments  causing  pain. 


188 


NAHUM  PRINCE 

This  is  the  story  of  Nahum  Prince.  He  must 
have  lived  a  hundred  years  or  more  ago,  and 
he  died,  I  do  not  know  when.  He  was  lame. 
Something  had  crushed  his  foot  so  that  he  could 
hardly  walk. 

It  was  at  the  time  of  the  fighting  with 
Burgoyne,  and  General  Lincoln  was  at  the  front 
and  was  ordering  out  every  man  from  New 
Hampshire.  All  the  regular  companies  of  troops 
had  been  marched  out.  Then  there  came  the 


189 

final  call  for  all  who  could  go,  and  all  the  old 
men  and  boys  volunteered ;  and  there  was  not 
a  boy  over  thirteen  years  of  age  in  the  village 
that  didn't  go,  except  Nahum  Prince.  When 
they  were  getting  ready  to  go  he  stood  up  as 
well  as  he  could  with  an  old  Queen  Anne's  arm 
on  his  shoulder.  And  the  captain  came  along  and 
saw  him  and  said,  '  Nahum,  you  here !  '; 

'Yes,  sir,"  said  Nahum. 

So  the  captain  said,  "  Go  home,  Nahum ; 
you  know  you  don't  belong  here ;  you  can't 
walk  a  mile." 

Then  he  called  to  the  doctor,  and  the  doctor 
said,  "  Nahum,  it's  no  use;  you  must  go  home." 

Then  they  all  marched  off  without  him. 

Rub-a-dub-dub,  rub-a-dub-dub,  went  the  drums ; 
and  every  man  and  boy  of  them  went  off  and 
left  poor  Nahum  Prince  alone.  He  had  a  good 
home,  but  he  was  very  homesick  all  that  night 
and  didn't  sleep  much;  and  the  next  morning 
he  said :  '  I  shall  die  before  night  if  I  stay 
here  all  alone,  the  only  boy  in  town.  I  must  do 
something." 


190 

It  was  coming  autumn.  It  was  not  late,  but  lie 
knew  he  must  do  something ;  so  he  went  down 
and  split  old  Widow  Corliss's  wood  for  her,  for 
he  could  split  wood  though  he  could  not  march. 

He  had  not  been  splitting  wood  for  more  than 
an  hour  when  four  men  on  horseback  came  down 
the  road  and  stopped.  He  could  see  them  stand 
and  talk.  They  all  went  off  and  then  one  came 
back  again  and  beckoned  to  Nahum;  and  when 
he  came  up,  the  man  on  horseback  said,  "  Where 
are  all  the  men  gone?" 

'They  have  all  gone  off  to  join  the  army," 
Nahum  said. 

"And  isn't  there  any  blacksmith  in  town?" 

:'No,"  said  Nahum;  "  there  isn't  a  man  or  a 
boy  in  the  town  except  me,  and  I  shouldn't  be 
here  only  I  am  so  lame  I  can't  march." 

'  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me,"  said  the  man, 
"  that  there  is  nobody  here  who  can  set  a  shoe?  " 

'Why,  I  can  set  a  shoe,"  said  Nahum. 

"Then  it  is  lucky  you  are  left  behind,"  the 
man  said.  '  Light  up  the  forge  and  set  this 
shoe." 


191 

And  now  comes  the  most  interesting  part  of 
the  story.  Nahuin  lighted  the  fire,  blew  it  into 
a  hot  flame,  and  set  the  shoe  on  the  horse ;  and 
the  horse  and  the  rider  went  away  after  the  man 
had  thanked  Nahum. 

Nahum  finished  splitting  the  widow's  wood. 
And  wrhen,  the  next  week,  the  boys  came  home 
and  told  how  Colonel  Seth  Warner  came .  up  on 
his  horse  just  in  time,  leading  the  First  Regiment, 
and  took  the  prisoners  and  won  the  day,  Nahum 
didn't  say  anything.  But  he  knew  that  Colonel 
Warner  never  would  have  been  on  that  horse  if 
he  hadn't  set  that  shoe.  And  it  was  little  lame 
Nahum  Prince  and  Seth  Warner  who  really  won 
the  splendid  victory  which  ended  the  battle  of 
Bennington. 

Why  did  Nahum  Prince  not  go  to  war  ? 
How  did  he  feel  about  it? 
What  was  the  man  on  horseback  looking  for  ? 
Who  won  the  battle  of  Bennington  ? 
Tell  how  Nahum  Prince  helped  to  win  the  battle  of 
Bennington. 


192 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  In  what  war  was  the  battle  of  Bennington  fought? 
"  Regular  companies "  means  the  trained  soldiers.    Give 
other  words  for^maZ,  beckoned,  splendid.    "  Queen  Anne's 
arm"  means  a  gun  used  in  the  time  of  Anne,  Queen  of 
England.    Describe  a  blacksmith  shop. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  u  in  drum.    In  front,  o  =  u. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
Burgoyne  (bur  gom/)  :  an  English  general 
general  (j8n'er  al)  :  head  of  an  army 
New  Hampshire  (nu  hamp'shir)  :  one  of  the  United  States 
volunteered    (v61  un  terd') :    entered  into    service  of  his 

own  free  will 

interesting  (m'ter  6st  Ing)  :  exciting 
colonel  (kur'nel)  :  the  head  of  a  regiment 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
join  only  off 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


193 


THE  FLOWER  OF  LIBERTY 
OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES 

What  flower  is  this  that  greets  the  morn, 
Its  hues  from  heaven  so  freshly  born? 
With  burning  star  and  flaming  band 
It  kindles  all  the  sunset  land; 
0  tell  us  what  its  name  may  be- 
Is  this  the  flower  of  liberty? 

It  is  the  banner  of  the  free, 

The  starry  flower  of  liberty ! 

What  is  called  the  flower  of  liberty  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Give  other  words  for  hues  and  banner.  "  Sunset  land" 
is  America.  It  is  called  by  this  name  because  it  is  west 
of  the  countries  of  Europe. 


194 


THE  YOUNG  SENTINEL 

William  Scott  belonged  to  a  company  of 
Green  Mountain  boys.  He  was  very  young 
when  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War. 

One  of  the  first  duties  assigned  to  him  was 
that  of  sentinel.  He  was  ordered  to  guard 
a  bridge. 

A  sentinel's  duty  is  a  very  important  one. 
If  the  enemy  attacks,  he  must  call  his  comrades 
to  arms.  If  he  is  not  faithful,  the  whole  regi- 
ment is  in  danger. 

William  fell  asleep  at  his  post.  He  was 
discovered  and  taken  to  the  guardhouse.  After- 
ward he  was  tried  and  sentenced  to  be  shot. 


195 

The  captain  of  his  company  was  very  fond 
of  him.  He  soon  learned  that  the  boy  had  been 
doing  sentinel  duty  for  a  comrade  who  was  too 
ill  to  serve.  For  three  nights  William  had 
guarded  that  bridge.  On  the  third  night,  weary 
and  exhausted,  he  had  fallen  asleep. 

No  one  could  save  him  but  the  President. 
Some  of  his  friends  went  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
told  him  the  story.  As  soon  as  President 
Lincoln,  with  his  tender  heart,  heard  how 
William  had  done  guard  duty  for  his  sick  com- 
rade, he  quickly  signed  his  pardon  and  sent  it 
to  the  camp. 

But  that  was  not  all.  Afraid  that  the  pardon 
might  not  reach  the  commander  in  time,  he 
sent  a  telegram.  No  answer  came.  The  Presi- 
dent could  not  work.  He  could  not  forget  the 
soldier  boy  condemned  to  die. 

Too  restless  to  wait  longer,  the  President 
started  for  the  camp.  He  drove  for  miles  over 
the  hot,  dusty  roads.  When  he  reached  the 
camp,  the  sentinel  had  been  released.  The  par- 
don had  been  received. 


196 


William's  heart  was  filled  with  gratitude  to 
the  President,  but  he  did  not  want  to  be  con- 
sidered a  coward. 

Not  long  afterward,  his  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Virginia.  In  attacking  a  fort,  William  Scott 
was  among  the  first  to  fall.  He  was  fatally 
wounded.  As  his  comrades  carried  him  off  the 
field  he  said :  "  Tell  President  Lincoln  I  have 
done  my  duty  as  a  soldier.  I  am  not  a  coward 
and  I  am  not  afraid  to  die." 


197 

What  act  placed  William  Scott  in  danger  of  his  life  ? 
What  excuse  had  he  ? 

Why  was  President  Lincoln  the  only  one  who  could 
save  him  ? 

How  did  he  pay  his  debt  to  the  President  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  In  what  war  did   William   Scott  serve?     In  what 
state    are   the    Green    Mountains  ?     Enlisted    means    en- 
rolled for  military  service  ;  assigned   means  given  as  his 
share  of  the  work;  "fatally  wounded"  means  wounded 
so  as  to  cause  his  death. 

2.  In  enemy,  y=  i;  in  captain,  ai  =  i.    Find  a  word  in 
the  story  where  ir  =  ur  in  urn.     Give  the  sound  of  a  in 
arms.    In  guard,  ua  =  a. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

sentinel  (sSn'tl  nel)  :  one  who  guards  the  camp  or  army 

discovered  (clis  kuVerd)  :  found  out 

sentenced  (sSn'tenst) :  doomed,  condemned 

exhausted  (eg  zoVte'd)  :  worn  out,  tired  out 

condemned  (kon  dgmd')  :  sentenced  to  punishment 

released  (re  lest')  :  set  free 

Virginia  (ver  jm'i  a)  :  one  of  the  United  States 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  • 
serve  whole  duty 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


11)8 


SHOULDER  TO  SHOULDER  l 
CLINTON  SCOLLARD 

Shoulder  to  shoulder!  Each  man  in  his  place! 
Shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  "right  about!  face!" 
We've  a  duty  to  do  ere  we  grow  a  day  older, 
And  the  way  we  can  do  it  is --shoulder  to 
shoulder ! 

Shoulder   to    shoulder!    Each   man  in  the  line! 
Shoulder  to  shoulder !    The  Flag  for  a  sign ! 
Yes,  let  us  not  weaken,  but  let  us  grow  bolder, 
And     rally     and     rally     with  -     :'  shoulder     to 
shoulder !  " 


1  From  "  Fifes  and  Drums."  Copyright,  1907.    George  H.  Doran  Com- 
pany, Publishers. 


199 

Shoulder  to  shoulder!  Each  man  in  his  might! 
Shoulder  to  shoulder!  We  fight  for  the  right! 
The  land  of  our  love — may  our  courage  enfold  her! 
May  we  work  -  -  and  not  shirk  -  -  for  her,  shoulder 
to  shoulder ! 

What  does  it  mean  to  fight  "shoulder  to  shoulder"? 
What  does  it  mean  to  work  "shoulder  to  shoulder"? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

'The  flag  for  a  sign"  means  the  flag  as  a  reminder 
of  one's  country.  "Rally  and  rally"  means  be  ready 
to  help  with  all  your  strength  and  might.  "May  our 
courage  enfold  her  "  means  may  our  courage  protect  her 
from  harm. 


200 


FRANKLIN'S  KITE-TRAVEL 

Benjamin  Franklin  was  one  of  the  great  Amer- 
icans who  helped  to  build  America.  He  was 
born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1706.  Today, 
on  the  site  of  the  little  wooden  house  in  which 
he  was  born,  opposite  the  Old  South  Church  on 
Milk  Street,  stands  a  tall  stone  building  full  of 
offices.  And  on  the  front  of  the  building,  be- 
neath a  bust  of  the  great  American,  you  may 
read  the  words :  Birthplace  of  Franklin. 

Franklin's  father  was  a  candle-maker,  who  had 
to  work  hard  to  bring  up  his  seventeen  chil- 
dren. Benjamin  was  a  good  student,  although  he 
never  went  to  school  much.  He  had  to  leave 
school  when  he  was  nine  years  old  and  go  to 
work,  but  he  did  not  remember  when  he  could 
not  read. 

When  a  boy  he  wished  to  invent  something 
so  that  he  could  swim  long  and  far.  He  tried 
several  things,  but  found  that  the  best  way  was 
to  fly  a  kite.  He  fastened  the  string  to  his  wrist 
and  let  the  kite  pull  him  through  the  water,  while 


201 

he  lay  quietly  on  his  back,  lowering  or  raising 
the  kite  as  he  wished  to  go  fast  or  slow.  Frank- 
lin's kite  swimming  was  but  the  beginning  of 
the  kite-travel  which  is  now  so  popular. 

The  following  are  some  of  Benjamin  Franklin's 
wise  sayings  which  are  worth  remembering : 

Never  put  off  until  tomorrow  what  you  can  do  today. 

One  today  is  worth  two  tomorrows. 

He  that  riseth  late  must  toil  all  day. 

Lost  time  is  never  found  again. 

Be  slow  in  choosing  a  friend,  slower  in  changing  one. 

A  little  neglect  may  breed  mischief. 

What  invention  of  Franklin  is  described  ? 
Tell  something  about  Franklin's  boyhood. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Learn  some  of  the  sayings  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 
Which  one  would  be  most  helpful  to  you  ?    What  do  we 
call  the  kite-travel  of  today  ?  Tell  something  about  it.  Go 
to  the    library  and  read  of  some  other  discoveries  that 
Franklin  made.    In  the  wise  sayings  of  Franklin,  "  breed 
mischief  "  means  cause  trouble. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ui  in  build.    Give  the  sound  of 
ie  in  mischief.    Find  other  words  in  the  story  that  have 
the  sound  of  i. 


202 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
American  (a  mer'i  kan) :  a  native  of  America 
Boston   (boVtun)  :   a  city  in  Massachusetts 
Massachusetts     (mas  a  choo'sets) :     one    of    the    United 

States 

opposite   (5p'o  zit) :   on  the  other  side 
student  (stu'dent)  :  one  who  studies 
several   (seVer  al)  :  more  than  two,  but  not  many 
neglect   (neg  lekt')  :  failure  to  do  what  one  should 
mischief  (mis'chif)  :  harm,  trouble 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 

birth  iron 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


203 


FLIGHT 

AILEEX  CLEVELAND  HIGGINS 

Oh,  my  kite --my  kite  - 

My  kite  of  scarlet  and  black  and  gold- 

The  wind  is  taking  it  up  to  the  light  — 

Oh,  if  my  string  will  hold ! 

Over  the  fences  —  over  you- 

Higher  than  roofs  of  houses  and  trees 

Up  —  and  up --to  the  bluest  blue  .  .  . 

Now  the  w^ind  drops  it --just  to  tease  — 

As  low  as  the  cross  upon  the  church 

Zip  -  -  it 's  sweeping  up  again 

Higher  and  higher  yet!    A  jerk --a  lurch  — 

It's  going  to  reach  the  clouds  —  oh,  when? 

Those  shining  rosy  clouds  up  there 

Waiting  for  my  kite ! 

Who  is  flying  the  kite  in  the  poem  ? 
Did  you  ever  fly  a  kite  ? 
Tell  about  it. 


204 


THE  FIRST  FLYING-MACHINE 

On  the  island  of  Crete  many  years  ago  there 
lived  a  great  inventor  named  Dgedalus.  One  day 
he  angered  the  king  very  much,  and  for  punish- 
ment he  and  his  young  son,  Icarus,  were  shut 
up  in  a  tower.  There  were  guards  at  the  city 
gates  and  sailors  on  watch  in  the  harbor  to 
prevent  an  escape. 

From  the  window  in  his  tower  Daedalus  saw 
the  sea  gulls  as  they  mounted  from  the  waves 


205 

and  floated  past.  The  idea  flashed  through  his 
mind :  '  With  the  wings  of  a  bird  I  too  could 
fly !  Though  the  king  controls  the  land  and 
the  sea,  he  does  not  control  the  air.  I  will 
try  that  way." 

At  once  Daedalus  set  to  work  to  make  him- 
self a  pair  of  wings.  He  gathered  feathers  from 
the  osprey,  the  sea  eagle,  and  the  gull,  and 
from  wild  bees  his  son  collected  honeycomb. 
On  a  framework  of  bone  the  inventor  fastened 
the  large  feathers  with  thread  and  the  small  ones 
with  wax.  After  many  failures  Daidalus  at  last 
had  two  pairs  of  wings. 

Icarus  was  delighted  with  the  invention  and 
was  eager  for  the  escape.  Before  starting,  how- 
ever, his  father  warned  him,  saying:  "Icarus,  my 
son,  remember  always  to  keep  a  middle  course, 
for  if  you  fly  too  low  the  sea  spray  will  wet 
your  feathers,  and  if  you  fly  too  high  the  sun 
will  melt  the  wax.  Keep  near  me  and  you 
will  be  safe." 

Icarus  promised  to  obey.  They  fastened  the 
wings  to  their  shoulders  and  then  sprang  up 


206 

into  the  air.  With  ease  they  rode  safely  above 
the  tower  and  over  the  city.  Once  away  from 
the  island,  they  turned  west  toward  Sicily.  At 
first  Icarus  kept  near  his  father,  but  soon,  having 
lost  all  sense  of  danger,  he  decided  to  go  his 
o\vn  way.  Overjoyed  with  his  new-found  free- 
dom and  proud  of  his  skill  in  flying,  he  began 
to  soar  upward  as  if  to  reach  heaven.  Soon, 
however,  the  sun  began  to  melt  the  wax,  the 
feathers  dropped  off,  and  Icarus  felt  himself  rap- 
idly falling.  He  screamed  to  his  father,  but  it 
was  too  late.  Daedalus  turned  just  in  time  to 
see  his  son  plunge  headlong  into  the  sea  and 
disappear  forever. 

Daedalus  arrived  safely  on  the  island  of  Sicily, 
where  he  built  a  temple  in  memory  of  his 
son.  And  the  sea  was  henceforth  known  as  the 
Icarian  Sea. 

Why  did  Daedalus  wish  to  fly  ? 
How  did  he  prepare  for  flight  ? 
What  was  the  warning  to  Icarus  ? 
What  ended  the  flight  of  Icarus  ? 
Find  Crete  and  Sicily  on  the  map. 


207 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  "The  idea  flashed  through  his  mind"  means  that 
the  thought  came  to  him.    Give  other  words  for  control, 
prevent,  eager.   "  Despite  many  failures  "  means  in  spite  of 
many  failures  ;  "  keep  a  middle  course  "  means  keep  half- 
way between  the  sun  and  the  earth;   "sense  of  danger" 
means    thought    of    danger ;     "  skill    in    flying "    means 
knowing  how  to  fly.    Give  other  words  for  determined, 
rapidly,  soar.     "Plunge  headlong"  means  to  fall  head- 
first ;  "  henceforth  known  "  means  known  from  that  time. 
Write  a  composition,  selecting  either  of  these  titles  :  "  Do 
Children  know  as  Much  as  their  Parents?"  or  "Dangers 
of  Disobedience." 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  a  =  a  in  glass;  ai  =  a 
in  care  ;  and  ui  =  i  in  Is. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 

Daedalus  (ded'«  lus)  :    a  builder  or  carpenter  who  lived 

in  Greece 

Icarus  Qk'd  rus)  :  the  son  of  Dgedalus 
achievement  (a  cheVment)  :  deed,  feat 
Sicily  (sis'i  li)  :  a  large  island 
determined  (cle  tuVmmd)  :  decided 
Icarian  (ika/ri  an)  :  named  for  Icarus 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
flying  past  soar 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


208 

TURNING   THE  GRINDSTONE 
BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN 

Here  is  a  true  story  that  Benjamin  Franklin 
wrote  of  his  boyhood : 

When  I  was  a  little  boy,  I  remember  one  cold 
winter's  morning  meeting  a  smiling  man  with 
an  ax  on  his  shoulder.  '  My  pretty  boy,"  said 
he,  "has  your  father  a  grindstone?" 

'Yes,  sir,"  said  1. 

'You  are  a  fine  little  fellow,"  said  he;  "will 
you  let  me  grind  my  ax  on  it?" 

Proud  that  he  called  me  "fine  little  fellow," 
"  Oh,  yes,  sir,"  I  answered,  "  it  is  down  in  the  shop." 

'And  will  you,  my  man,"  said  he,  patting  me 
on  the  head,  "  get  me  a  little  hot  water?  " 

How  could  I  refuse?  I  ran  and  soon  brought 
a  kettle  full. 

'  How  old  are  you  ?  And  what 's  your  name  ?  " 
he  asked  next.  Without  waiting  for  my  answer 
he  then  said,  "  I  am  sure  you  are  one  of  the  finest 
lads  I  have  ever  seen ;  will  you  just  turn  a  few 
minutes  for  me  ?  " 


Pleased  and  flattered  with  his  kind  words,  I 
went  to  work.  It  was  a  new  ax,  and  I  toiled  and 
tugged  till  I  was  almost  tired  out.  The  school  bell 
rang  and  I  could  not  get  away ;  my  hands  were 
blistered  and  the  ax  was  not  half  ground.  At 
length,  however,  it  was  sharpened.  Then  the  man 
turned  to  me  with,  "  Now,  you  little  rascal,  you've 
played  truant;  scud  to  school  or  you'll  rue  it!" 

"  Oh !  "  thought  I,  "it  was  hard  enough  to  turn 
a  grindstone  this  cold  day;  but  now  to  be  called 
a  little  rascal  is  too  much." 


210 

I  now  never  hear  a  man  Mattering  anyone 
without  saying  to  myself,  "  I  know  that  man  has 
an  ax  to  grind.7' 

How  did  the  man's  praise  make  the  little  boy  feel  ? 
How  long  did  the  man  praise  the  boy  ? 
What  did  the  boy  think  of  his  treatment  ? 
What  is  meant  by  "  having  an  ax  to  grind  "  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Where  have  you  ever  seen  a  grindstone?    Give  other 
words    for    lads,    toiled,    tityyed,   scud.     Rue    is    to    be 
sorry  for. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  u  in  sure.     In  rue,  ue  =  oo. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
refuse  (re  fuz')  :  decline  to  do  something 
flattered  (flat'erd)  :  pleased  by  praise 
blistered  (bhVterd)  :  covered  with  blisters  or  sores 
at  length  (18ngth) :  at  last 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 '. 
fellow  kettle  true 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


211 


THE  OBSTINATE  SHOEMAKER1 
J.  CHRISTIAN  BAY 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  shoemaker  who 
doted  on  pancakes.  One  day  he  asked  his  wife  to 
bake  him  some  for  dinner.  She  replied  that  she 
was  willing  enough,  but  that  there  was  no  pan  in 
the  house,  and  if  he  wished  for  pancakes,  he  had 
better  go  and  borrow  a  pan  from  one  of  the  neigh- 
bors. He  complied,  and  at  dinner  he  ate  as  rapidly 
as  his  wife  could  bake.  When  they  had  finished 

1  From  "  Danish  Fairy  and  Folk  Tales."  Copyright,  1890,  by  Harper 
&  Brothers. 


212 

their  meal,  the  shoemaker  told  his  wife  to  carry 
the  pan  back  to  its  owner.  She  refused,  however, 
and  declared  that  she  did  not  like  to  carry  back 
borrowed  articles.  As  he  insisted,  they  nearly 
came  to  blows ;  but  finally  they  agreed  to  go  to 
work  and  the  one  who  spoke  first  should  return 
the  pan  to  its  owner. 

The  shoemaker  seated  himself  on  his  platform, 
sewing  and  handling  his  shoes  and  his  leather. 
His  wife  took  her  seat  by  her  spinning-wheel,  and 
soon  they  were  working  as  if  life  depended  upon 
their  handiness.  Neither  uttered  a  sound. 

In  a  short  time  a  squire,  who  lived  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  who  had  given  a  pair  of  shoes  to  the 
shoemaker  to  repair,  passed  the  house,  bade  his 
coachman  stop,  and  sent  his  servant  in,  asking 
him  to  see  whether  his  shoes  were  finished. 

The  servant  walked  in,  greeted  the  shoemaker, 
and  performed  his  errand. 

'  Whew,  whe-ew,  whe-e-e-e-e-ew  !  "  whistled  the 
shoemaker,  who  sat  on  his  three-legged  chair, 
battling  with  the  air,  and  sewing  diligently.  As 
the  servant  could  not  draw  a  single  word  from 


214 

him  by  way  of  answer,  he  turned  to  the  woman, 
whose  spinning-wheel  went  so  rapidly  that  sparks 
flew  from  it.  'How  is  it,"  he  asked,  "that  your 
husband  does  not  answer  when  I  talk  to  him?" 
'  Tralala-lide-lido-raderade-lidelidelidelidelide-ralla- 
la ! "  sang  the  woman  at  the  top  of  her  voice, 
spinning  with  all  her  might  and  looking  straight 
into  his  face.  The  servant  saw  that  there  was 
nothing  for  him  to  do  but  return  to  his  master 
in  the  carriage.  The  two  people  must  have  lost 
their  senses ! 

When  he  reached  the  carriage,  the  squire  asked 
him  whether  the  shoes  were  finished. 

'I  don't  know,"  replied  he;  "  the  shoemaker 
and  his  wife  must  have  lost  their  senses.  The 
man  whistles  and  the  woman  sings,  and  those 
are  all  the  sounds  they  utter.  They  would  not 
say  as  much  as  one  plain  word." 

The  squire  alighted  to  see  what  had  happened 
to  the  persons  within.  r  If  they  pretend  to  make 
fun  of  their  customers,  I  shall  teach  them 
manners,"  said  he  to  himself.  So  he  opened  the 
door  and  walked  in. 


215 

The  shoemaker  whistled  with  all  his  might  as 
soon  as  the  squire  opened  his  mouth  to  speak. 
The  woman  sang  and  shouted  w^ith  all  her  might, 
but  neither  of  them  seemed  to  notice  his  question 
as  to  the  shoes.  At  length  he  became  vexed, 
seized  his  riding-whip,  and  lifted  it  over  the 
woman's  shoulders.  The  shoemaker  stole  a  glance 
at  them,  but  said  nothing. 

A  minute  later  the  w^hip  wras  dancing  lustily 
across  the  shoulder  blades  of  the  woman,  who  at 
once  struck  up  a  new  tune  but  less  merrily  than 
before.  But  this  wras  too  much  for  the  shoemaker. 
He  jumped  from  his  seat,  rushed  at  the  squire, 
and  bade  him  stop. 

"Ah,"  exclaimed  the  squire,  'you  are  not 
mute.  I  am  pleased  to  know  that  your  voice  is 
in  as  good  working-order  as  your  lingers  seem 
to  be." 

'You  spoke  first,"  cried  the  woman  to  her 
husband,  "  and  you  must  carry  the  pan  back  to 
our  neighbor!  " 

Now  they  told  the  squire  of  their  quarrel  and 
agreement,  and  it  greatly  amused  him  w^hen  he 


216 

learned  that  he  had  settled  the  dispute.  I  do  not 
know  whether  or  not  his  shoes  were  finished,  but 
that  cuts  no  figure.  I  saw  the  shoemaker,  how- 
ever, when  he  slouched  through  the  back  yard 
with  the  pan  carefully  concealed  under  his  coat. 

What  was  the  quarrel  about  ? 

How  did  the  shoemaker  and  his  wife  decide  to  settle 
the  question  ? 

What  trouble  did  this  bring  upon  them  ? 
How  was  the  quarrel  settled  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  "Doted  on"  means  was  very  fond  of.     Give  other 
words  for  uttered,  bade,  single,  glanced,  merrily. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ei  in  seized.    Give  the  sound  of  x 
in  vexed.    Give  the  sound  of  gh  in  enough. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
neighbor  (na/ber)  :  a  person  who  lives  near  another 
borrowed  (boVod)  :  got  from  another,  as  a  loan 
articles  (ar'ti  k'lz)  :  things 
insisted  (in  sist'Sd)  :  refused  to  give  way 
squire  (skwir)  :  an  English  title  of  respect 
repair  (re  par')  :  to  mend 
servant   (sur'vant) :    one   who    is    hired    by   another  for 

domestic  work 
amused  (a  muzd')  :  pleased,  entertained 


217 

alighted  («  Ht'Sd)  :  got  down  as  from  a  carriage 
mute  (mut)  :  dumb,  not  able  to  speak 
quarrel  (kwor'el)  :  an  angry  strife,  as  of  words 
slouched  (sloucht)  :  walked  in  a  slow,  heavy,  careless  way 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 

voice  bade 

For  spelling  see  page  391 , 


M7 


218 


THE  QUARREL  OF  THE  QUAILS1 

Long,  long  ago,  many  quails  lived  together  in 
a  forest  in  India,  Their  leader  was  the  wisest 
of  them  all.  They  would  have  been  happy,  but 
a  man  who  lived  near  the  forest  earned  his  liv- 
ing by  catching  quails  and  selling  them.  Day 

1  Adapted  from  a  Jataka  tale. 


219 

after  day  this  quail-catcher  listened  to  the  leader 
call  the  quails.  By  and  by  he  was  able  to 
imitate  the  call,  and  hearing  him  the  quails 
would  gather. 

When  they  were  crowded  together,  the  fowler 
would  throw  a  great  net  over  them  and  then 
carry  them  away  to  town,  where  he  soon  sold 
all  the  quails  he  had  caught. 

Now,  as  I  have  said,  the  leader  was  very  wise, 
and  he  called  all  the  birds  to  him  and  said  : 
'Brothers,  I  have  thought  of  a  good  plan.  This 
fowler  must  not  carry  away  any  more  of  us.  The 
next  time  he  throws  a  net  over  us  let  each  one 
put  his  head  through  one  of  the  little  holes  in  the 
net,  and  then  all  lift  it  together  and  fly  away  to 
the  nearest  thorn-bush.  There  we  can  leave  the 
net  on  the  thorn-bush  and  escape  from  under  it." 

All  the  quails  agreed  that  it  was  a  good  plan 
and  that  they  w^ould  try  it  the  next  time  the 
fowler  threw  his  net  over  them. 

The  next  day  the  fowler  called  them  together, 
and  when  he  had  thrown  his  net  all  the  quails 
lifted  it  together  in  the  very  way  that  their  wise 


220 

leader  had  told  them.  They  flew  away  to  a  thorn- 
bush,  where  they  left  the  net  and  escaped.  Then 
they  went  back  to  their  leader  to  tell  him  how 
well  his  plan  had  worked.  The  fowler  was  busy 
until  evening  getting  his  net  free  from  the  thorns 
and  had  to  go  home  empty-handed. 

This  happened  the  next  day  and  the  next, 
till  at  last  the  fowler's  wife  grew  angry  and 
asked  her  husband,  '  Why  is  it  that  you  never 
catch  any  more  quails?" 

Then  the  fowler  said :  '  The  trouble  is  that 
all  the  birds  are  working  together  now.  The 
moment  my  net  is  over  them,  off  they  fly,  leaving 
it  on  a  thorn-bush.  If  they  would  only  quarrel 
I  could  catch  them  quickly  enough." 

Not  long  after  this,  one  of  the  quails  acci- 
dentally trod  on  the  head  of  another  as  they 
alighted  on  the  feeding-ground. 

'Who  trod  on  my  head?"  angrily  cried  the 
quail  who  was  hurt. 

'  I  did,  but  I  didn't  mean  to;  don't  be  angry," 
said  the  first  quail.  But  the  second  quail  kept 
on  saying  mean  things. 


221 

Soon  all  the  quails  began  to  take  sides  in  the 
quarrel.  Now  the  fowler  saw  his  chance.  He 
called  the  quails  together  and  cast  his  net  over 
them.  They  were  still  quarreling  and  they  did 
not  help  one  another  lift  the  net;  So  the  fowler 
crammed  them  into  his  basket,  took  them  to 
town,  and  sold  them  for  a  great  price. 

How  did  the  fowler  catch  the  quails  ? 

How  did  the  quails  succeed  in  getting  away  ? 

How  was  the  good  plan  of  the  quails  spoiled  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Find  India  on  the  map.    Why  did  the  people  pay  a 
good  price  for  the  quails  ?    To  imitate  the  call  is  to  copy 
it,  to  make  the  same  sound.    A  thorn-bush  is  a  shrub  or 
small  tree  covered  with  prickles.     Give  other  words  for 
trod,  crammed. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  o  =  66,  ou  =  u,  and  o  =  u. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
fowler  (foul'er)  :   a  bird-catcher 
alighted  (a  We'd)  :  came  to  rest 
accidentally  (ak  si  den'tal  I)  :  by  chance 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
basket  birds 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


222 


THE  CAMEL  AND  THE  PIG 

Once  upon  a  time  a  camel  and  a  pig  became 
fast  friends.  One  day  as  the  two  friends  were 
walking  along,  the  camel  looked  down  at  the 
pig  and  said,  '  There  is  nothing  like  being  tall." 

But  the  pig  replied,  "  I  was  just  thinking  that 
there  is  nothing  like  being  short." 

'  How  foolish  you  are,"  said  the  camel.  '  I 
say  there  is  nothing  like  being  tall." 

'  You  are  wrong,"  said  the  pig;  "  it  is  better 
to  be  short  and  I  wrill  prove  it.  If  I  fail  to  do 
so,  I  will  give  you  my  snout." 


223 

The  camel  said,  "Well,  if  I  fail  to  prove  the 
truth  of  what  I  have  said,  I  will  give  you  my 
hump." 

"  Agreed  !  "  said  the  pig. 

"  Just  so !  "   said  the  camel. 

So  they  walked  and  walked  until  they  came 
to  a  garden.  All  around  the  garden  there  was 
a  low  stone  w^all  without  any  opening. 

:'  Now  see/7  said  the  camel,  "what  a  line  thing 
it  is  to  be  tall." 

Then  he  reached  over  the  wall  with  his  long 
neck  and  made  a  fine  breakfast  on  the  vegetables 
that  grew  in  the  garden. 

The  hungry  pig  with  his  short  neck  could  get 
nothing  at  all.  He  could  not  even  see  what  was 
growing  in  the  garden. 

'  Well,  friend  pig,"  said  the  camel,  jeeringly, 
"now  would  you  be  tall  or  short?" 

Then  the  two  friends  walked  on  until  noon 
time,  when  they  came  to  a  field  with  a  high 
fence  around  it  and  a  wicket  gate  at  one  end. 
In  the  field  they  saw  green  trees  and  ripe  fruit 
on  the  ground. 


224 

"Now,"  said  the  pig,  '  you  shall  see  what  a 
fine  thing  it  is  to  be  short."  So  saying,  he  slipped 
under  the  gate  without  any  trouble. 

After  eating  his  fill  of  the  fallen  fruit  he 
came  out  laughing  at  the  poor  camel-,  who  had 
had  to  stay  outside  because  he  was  too  tall  to 
enter  the  garden  under  the  gate. 

;'  Now  then,  friend  camel,"  said  the  pig,  "  would 
you  be  tall  or  short?" 

'  Let  us  go  home,"  replied  the  camel,  "and  we 
will  talk  about  it  on  the  way." 

So  they  talked  and  talked.  But  the  camel 
was  not  willing  to  say  that  it  was  better  to 
be  short,  nor  was  the  pig  willing  to  say  that 
it  was  better  to  be  tall. 

And  they  agreed  that  the  camel  should  keep 
his  hump  and  the  pig  his  snout,  saying, 

r  Tall  is  good  where  tall  will  do ; 
If  short,  the  same  is  also  true." 

What  was  the  boast  of  the  camel  and  that  of  the  pig  ? 

What  was  the  wager  ? 

Describe  the  trial. 

Which  of  the  animals  won  ? 


225 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Tell  something  about  a  camel.    Do  you  know  an- 
other story  of  a  camel?  If  so,  tell  it.  Tell  another  story 
of  a  pig. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  e  in  well.    In  breakfast,  ea  =  e. 
Give  the  sound  of  ou  in  snout.    Give  the  sound  of  ow  in 
now.    Give  the  sound  of  o  in  short.    In  because,  au  =  6. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
jeeringly  (jeVing  li)  :  mockingly 
wicket  (wik'et)  :  a  small  gate  or  door 

Pronounce  this  word,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 

snout 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


226 


A  SEASIDE  STROLL1 
MARY  FENOLLOSA 

Beside  the  sea,  from  out  its  hole, 
An  earthworm  started  for  a  stroll. 
He  met  a  crab  who  scoffing  said, 
'  Which  is  your  tail,  and  which  your  head?  " 

'  You  well  may  ask,"  the  earthworm  cried, 
'  Your  ugly  face  stuck  on  your  side ! 
But,  first  of  all,  I'd  like  to  know 
Which  way  you're  walking,  to  or  f ro  ?  " 

1  Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  "  Blossoms  from  a  Japanese  Garden," 
by  Mary  Fenollosa.  .Copyrighted,  1913,  by  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company. 


227 

A  devil-fish  rushed  up  to  see 
What  all  this  quarreling  could  be ; 
And,  standing  near,  with  pompous  pose 
Cried,  "  I'll  be  judge  ;  bring  out  your  woes  !  r' 

The  others  turned  with  jibe  and  jeer. 
"  0  wondrous  judge !  we  fain  would  hear 
If,  spite  of  all  your  learned  charms, 
You're  walking  on  your  legs  or  arms?  " 

And  then  they  fought,  and  strewed  the  beach 
With  heads,  arms,  legs,  and  tails  of  each. 
But,  worst  of  all,  the  questions,  -  -  they 
Remain  unanswered  to  this  day ! 

What  question  caused  the  quarrel  between  the  crab  and 
the  earthworm? 

Who  tried  to  act  as  judge? 
Why  did  the  others  object  to  the  judge  ? 
How  did  they  then  try  to  settle  the  question  ? 
What  is  the  answer  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Describe  a  crab  and  tell  how  he  walks.  Tell  the  story 
of  "The  Crab  and  his  Mother."  Give  other  words  for 
stroll,  fro,  ivoes,  strewed,  remain.  Have  you  ever  seen  a 
devil-fish?  Describe  it.  'With  pompous  pose"  means 


228 

with  self-important  look;  "with  jibe  and  jeer"  means 
with  sneering,  mocking  words ;  fain  means  gladly ; 
"spite  of"  means  notwithstanding. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ur  in  turned.  Give  the  sound  of 
ear  in  earth.  Give  the  sound  of  ear  in  learned.  Give  the 
sound  of  ir  in  first.  In  worm,  or  =  ur.  In  worst,  or  =  ur. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
scoffing  (skSf'mg)  :  mocking,  jeering 
wondrous  (wun'drus)  :  wonderful 
fought  (fot) :  struggled,  as  in  battle 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
strewed  worst 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


229 


TREES 
SARA  COLERIDGE 

The  Oak  is  called  the  King  of  Trees, 
The  Aspen  quivers  in  the  breeze, 
The  Poplar  grows  up  straight  and  tall, 
The  Pear  Tree  spreads  along  the  wall, 
The  Sycamore  gives  pleasant  shade, 
The  Willow  droops  in  watery  glade, 
The  Fir  Tree  useful  timber  gives, 
The  Beech  amid  the  forest  lives. 

Try  to  think  how  each  tree  looks. 
Make  a  picture  of  each. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Use  other  words  for  quivers,  droops,  timber.  Amid 
means  in  the  midst  of;  "watery  glade"  means  an  open 
space  in  the  woods  near  a  river. 


230 

ROBIN  HOOD 
MARION  F.  LANSING 

Seven  hundred  and  more  years  ago  the  length 
and  breadth  of  merry  England  was  covered  with 
great  forests  which  men  called  the  greenwood. 
Many  a  stalwart  man  slipped  away  into  the 
greenwood,  there  to  live  a  life  of  ease  and 
freedom.  To  the  forest  of  Shenvood  went  many 
of  these  men,  for  there  lived  Robin  Hood  with 
his  band  of  merry  yeomen. 

In  those  days  a  man  could  be  hanged  if  he 
killed  one  of  the  king's  deer.  So  it  came  about 
that  when  Robin  Hood  had  killed  a  deer,  he 
slipped  away  into  the  greenwood  for  safety,  and 
there  he  lived  for  many  long  years.  And  because 
he  was  always  fair  and  just,  and  because  he  was 
merry  and  kindly,  and  ready  for  any  sport,  and 
just  as  willing  to  acknowledge  when  he  had 
been  beaten,  there  came  to  him,  from  all  the 
forest  and  all  the  country  round,  men  who 
would  be  of  his  band, --for  all  men  love  a 
leader. 


231 

Before  many  years  had  come  and  gone  Robin 
had  gathered  about  him  a  company  of  seven- 
score  brave  and  sturdy  men,  who  lived  in 
the  greenwood  under  him  as  their  head.  Here 
is  a  story  of  one  of  Robin  Hood's  adventures. 


ROBIN  HOOD  AND  LITTLE  JOHN 

One  morning  Robin  Hood  said  to  his  jolly 
bowmen :  'It  is  fourteen  long  days  since  we 
have  had  any  sport.  Do  you  stay  here  in  the 
greenwood,  where  I  can  call  you  by  a  blast  of 
my  horn,  and  I  will  go  forth  to  see  what 
I  shall  find." 

As  Robin  strolled  through  the  forest  he  came 
to  a  stream  which  he  wanted  to  cross,  but  it 
was  too  wide  for  him  to  leap.  He  walked 
along  the  bank  to  find  a  place  w^here  he  could 
get  over,  and  as  he  went  he  noticed  that  a  tall 
stranger  was  coming  up  the  stream  on  the 
other  side.  At  the  very  same  moment  they 
both  came  to  a  log  which  had  fallen  across  the 
water,  making  a  narrow  bridge,  and  each  put 


232 

foot  on  it.  For  an  instant  they  stood  still  and 
waited,  each  expecting  the  other  to  give  way ; 
but  neither  stirred. 

'  Make  way  for  your  betters/7  said  the 
stranger. 

"When  I  find  them/'  replied  Robin. 

"Make  way,  I  said/'  repeated  the  stranger, 
and  advanced  a  step  on  the  log. 

'  I'd  rather  show  you  some  good  Nottingham 
play,"  quoth  Robin,  as  he  too  stepped  forward 
one  pace  and  drew  from  the  quiver  that  was 
slung  over  his  shoulder  a  broad  arrow  with  a 
goose-wing  tip. 

'  If  you  dare  to  touch  that  string,  I'll  show 
you  right  speedily  who  is  the  better  man," 
replied  the  stranger. 

'You  are  speaking  foolishly,"  quoth  Robin, 
"for  if  I  were  but  to  bend  my  bow,  I  could 
send  an  arrow  through  your  proud  heart  before 
you  could  strike  me  a  single  blow." 

"And  you  are  talking  like  a  coward,"  said 
the  stranger.  '  Look  you !  There  you  stand 
well  armed,  with  a  longbow  and  ready  to  shoot 


234 

at  my  breast,  while  I  have   nothing  but  a  staff 
in  my  hand." 

'No  one  shall  ever  call  me  a  coward,"  said 
Robin.  f  For  your  sake  I  will  lay  by  my  bow 
and  take  a  staff,  and  then  we  shall  see  whether 
you  are  as  bold  as  these  words." 

Robin  stepped  into  the  thicket  and  chose  a 
stout  sapling  of  ground  oak.  He  cut  from  it 
a  cudgel  six  feet  long  and  trimmed  and 
smoothed  it  until  it  was  just  the  size  of  the 
stranger's  staff. 

Then  he  ran  back  to  the  bridge  and  called 
merrily,  for  there  was  nothing  that  Robin  loved 
better  than  a  contest  of  skill. 

"  See,   I   have  a  lusty,   tough   staff,"   lie   said. 
r  Now  we  will  play  here  on  this  bridge ;  if  one 
falls    into    the    water,    the    other    has    won,   but 
not  till  then.     Come  on." 

'With  all  my  heart,"  replied  the  stranger. 
"Ready!" 

They  balanced  themselves  on  the  narrow  log 
and  fell  to.  Robin  gave  the  stranger  a  blow 
that  made  his  bones  ring. 


235 

"I'll  pay  you  back  for  that,"  said  he;  and 
he  hit  Robin  a  stroke  that  drew  blood.  They 
laid  on  so  fast  and  so  heavy  with  their  oaken 
staves  that  had  any  one  been  a  little  way  off 
in  the  greenwood  he  would  have  thought  they 
were  threshing  out  corn.  For  a  time  Robin  had 
the  advantage,  but  all  at  once,  with  a  quick 
backward  turn  of  his  wrist,  the  stranger  took  him 
off  his  guard  and  tumbled  him  into  the  brook. 

"Well,  well,  my  good  fellow,  where  are  you 
now?"  shouted  the  stranger;  and  he  laughed 
so  hard  that  he  was  like  to  follow  Robin's 
example  and  join  him  in  the  brook. 

"  Oh !  I'm  floating  along  with  the  tide," 
laughed  Robin,  as  he  picked  himself  up  and 
waded  ashore.  [l  I'm  ready  to  acknowledge  that 
you're  a  brave,  clever  fellow  and  have  won  the 
day  this  time." 

Robin  pulled  himself  up  on*  the  limb  of  a 
hawthorn  tree,  and  as  he  sat  shaking  off  the 
water,  he  blew  a  loud  blast  on  his  horn. 

Almost  before  the  echo  of  the  call  had  died 
away  in  the  forest  glades,  there  was  a  crashing 


236 

through  the  thicket,  and  Will  Stutely  stood  on 
the  bank  with  a  score  or  more  of  stout  yeomen, 
all  clothed  in  Lincoln  green,  following  fast  on 
his  heels. 

"Good  master,"  quoth  Will,  'what  is  the 
matter?  Thou  art  wet  to  the  skin."  And  he  and 
the  other  archers  looked  at  the  tall  stranger. 

:r  No  matter,"  quoth  Kobin,  swinging  on  the 
hawthorn  limb.  '  That  lad  you  see  there  was 
lighting  with  me,  and  he  tumbled  me  into 
the  water." 

'In  faith,  he  shall  not  go  scot  free,"  shouted 
the  others,  and  they  rushed  forward  to  seize 
him.  '  He  shall  have  a  ducking,  too." 

'  Forbear,  forbear,"  called  Robin.  '  Do  not  fear, 
my  friend.  Thou  art  a  stout  fellow  and  none  shall 
harm  thee.  These  men  are  my  bowmen  and  they 
wait  on  me.  There  are  threescore  and  nine  of 
them,  and  if  thou  wilt  join  us  thou  shalt  be  right 
welcome.  Thou  shalt  have  my  livery  of  Lincoln 
green  and  all  else  that  thou  needest,  and  I  will 
teach  thee  to  shoot  at  the  fat  deer  with  a  longbow. 
Come  now,  wilt  thou  be  of  my  men?  " 


237 

'Indeed  I  will,"  said  the  stranger.  'Here  is 
rny  hand  on  it,  and  Til  serve  you  with  all  my 
heart.  My  name  is  John  Little,  and  I  promise  I'll 
not  fail  you." 

"  John  Little,  John  Little,"  quoth  Will  Stutely, 
and  a  merry  look  came  into  his  eyes.  "  Good 
master,  may  we  give  him  a  christening  feast?" 

At  a  nod  from  Robin,  Will  ran  off  into  the 
woods  with  all  his  men  behind  him,  and  as  Robin 
and  John  Little  followed  them  they  could  hear 
them  singing  in  the  distance : 

Prepare  then  a  feast, 
And  none  of  the  least, 

For  we  will  merry  be. 
Prepare  then  a  feast, 
And  none  of  the  least, 

For  we  will  merry  be. 

At  the  christening  feast  Will  Stutely  named 
Robin  Hood's  new  follower  Little  John,  and  by 
this  name  he  was  always  afterward  called. 

What  kind  of  life  did  Robin  Hood  lead? 
Tell  about  the  fight  with  Little  John. 
Why  did  the  two  men  become  friends  ? 


238 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1 .  Give  other  words  for  seuenscore,  stalwart,  Jell  to,  sport, 
staff,  blast,  bold,  right  welcome.    Outlaws  are  persons  who 
flee  from  their  own  land  to  escape  punishment.    Lords  are 
rulers,  men  of  high  rank  and  title. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ow  in  bows.    Give  the  sound  of  ow 
in  arrow.    Give  the  sound  of  ow  in  now.    Give  the  sound 
of  ei  in  their. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
yeomen  (yo'men) :  attendants 
cudgel  (ktij'el)  :  a  short  cluh 

adventures  (ad  ven'turz)  :  hold  and  risky  undertakings 
faithful  (fath'fool)  :  true 
acknowledge  (ak  nol'gj)  :  to  own,  to  allow 
archers  (ar'cherz)  :  those  who  use  bows  and  arrows 
coward  (kou'erd)  :  one  who  has  no  courage 
thicket  (thik'et)  :  a  thick  growth  of  shrubs  or  bushes 
victor  (vik'ter)  :   winner  in  a  contest 
fury  (fu'rl) :  rage,  madness 
Christen  (krls'n)  :  to  give  a  name  to 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
against  staff  aye 

search  alone 

For  spelling  see  page  391 . 


239 


A  WOLF  HUNT 

Israel  Putnam  lived  on  a  farm  in  Connecti- 
cut. The  woods  close  by  had  been  the  home  of 
many  wild  animals.  Putnam  and  his  neighbors 
had  hunted  and  trapped  these  animals  until  there 
were  few  left. 

An  old  wolf  who  baffled  all  the  hunters  made 
her  home  in  the  neighborhood  every  winter,  to- 
gether with  her  family,  and  exacted  her  yearly 
tribute  from  the  Hocks  of  sheep  and  goats. 

Early  one  morning  Putnam  found  that  the 
wolves  had  killed  seventy  of  his  sheep  and  goats 


240 

and  left  the  marks  of  their  teeth  and  claws 
upon  the  poor  little  lambs  and  kids.  Putnam 
was  indignant! 

At  once  he  and  five  other  farmers  set  out 
to  hunt  for  the  leader  of  the  pack.  A  light 
snow  had  fallen.  Her  tracks  could  easily  be 
traced,  since  one  of  her  paws  was  shorter  than 
the  others.  The  previous  year  she  had  been 
caught  in  a  trap  and  had  escaped  by  gnawing 
off  her  toes. 

The  hunters  followed  the  tracks  for  many 
miles.  She  was  a  wily  old  wolf,  and,  hoping 
to  escape  her  enemies,  she  turned  and  went 
back  toward  Putnam's  farm. 

Finally  they  found  her  tracks  leading  to  the 
mouth  of  a  cave  not  far  from  Putnam's  home. 
His  old  bloodhound  w^as  sent  into  the  cave. 
One  encounter  with  that  old  wolf  w^as  sufficient. 
The  dog  was  so  badly  bitten  that  he  could  not 
be  coaxed  to  go  into  the  cave  again. 

Then  the  hunters  tried  to  smoke  her  out  with 
straw  and  sulphur,  but  the  cave  was  very  deep 
and  she  went  in  farther  and  farther. 


241 

Putnam's  negro  servant  was  to  be  sent  in, 
but  the  negro  pleaded  so  hard  with  his  master 
that  Putnam  pulled  off  his  coat  and  said,  '  I 
will  go  in  myself." 

First  he  made  a  torch  out  of  some  pieces  of 
birch  bark.  He  knew  that  wild  animals  were 
afraid  of  fire.  After  his  friends  had  tied  a  rope 
to  his  legs,  he  got  down  on  his  hands  and 
knees  and  crawled  into  the  hole. 

On  and  on  he  crawled  until  he  saw,  glaring 
at  him,  two  great  balls  of  fire.  The  wrolf  howled. 
Putnam  was  so  frightened  that  he  jerked  the 
rope.  That  was  the  signal  for  his  friends  to 
pull  him  out. 

Fearing  the  wolf  had  attacked  him,  they  pulled 
as  fast  as  they  could.  When  he  reached  the 
outside,  his  clothes  were  torn  and  he  was 
badly  scratched  by  the  rocks.  But  he  was  deter- 
mined to  kill  that  wolf.  This  time  he  loaded 
his  gun. 

When  the  wolf  saw  him  coming  again,  she 
snapped  her  teeth,  she  rolled  her  eyes,  she 
growled  and  roared,  ready  to  spring. 


242 

Not  a  moment  could  be  lost.  Putnam  raised 
his  gun  and  fired.  Before  he  knew  what  had 
happened,  he  found  himself  outside  the  cave. 

As  soon  as  the  smoke  cleared  away,  he  went 
in  a  third  time.  He  wanted  to  see  whether  the 
wolf  was  dead. 

There  she  lay  very  still.  He  put  his  torch 
to  her  nose ;  she  didn't  move.  He  jerked  the 
rope  again  and  took  the  wolf  by  the  ears. 

When  the  hunters  pulled  him  out  this  time, 
he  dragged  with  him  the  fearless  foe  of  his  sheep. 

From  that  time  on,  Israel  Putnam  was  called 
"  Old  Wolf  Putnam.'7  In  later  years  he  became 
a  soldier.  He  fought  against  the  Indians,  and 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  he  was  a  well- 
known  general. 

Why  did  Putnam  and  his  friends  hunt  the  wolf  ? 

How  did  they  trace  her? 

How  did  they  first  try  to  get  the  wolf  out  of  the  cave  ? 

Tell  about  the  second  trial. 

Describe  Putnam's  first  entrance  into  the  cave. 

Tell  about  the  second  one. 

How  did  Putnam  make  sure  that  the  wolf  was  dead  ? 

What  was  Putnam  in  after  years  ? 


243 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Baffled  means  defeated  ;  "  exacted  her  yearly  tribute  " 
means  took  a  certain  number  each  year.    Give  another  word 
for  indignant.  A  pack  is  a  number  of  animals  living  and 
hunting  together ;  wily  means  tricky.    Give  another  word 
for  encounter.   Sufficient  means  enough.  By  what  name  was 
Putnam  known  after  the  wolf  hunt  ? 

2.  What  sound  has  ou  in  found  ?    What  sound  has  ou  in 
fought  ?    What  sound  has  ou  in  could  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
Connecticut  (ko  net'I  kut)  :  one  of  the  United  States 
sufficient  (su  fish'ent)  :  enough 

sulphur  (sul'fur)  :   a  yellow-colored  powder  that  will  burn 
glaring  (glar'fng)  :  looking  with  fierce  eyes 
previous  (pre'vi  us)  :  going  before 

Revolution  (rev  o  lii'shun)  :  the  war  by  which  the  United 
States  became  an  independent  country 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
birch  jerked  third 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


244 


JUST  DOING  HIS  DUTY 

Jack  won  his  Victoria  Cross  at  the  battle  of 
Jutland  Bank,  one  of  the  most  important  naval 
battles  of  the  World  War.  That  was  in  May,  1916. 

During  the  battle  the  British  lost  six  of  their 
largest  ships,  eight  destroyers,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  brave  sailors.  But  the  German  losses  far 
exceeded  those  of  the  British. 

On  H.M.S.  Chester  was  a  lad  of  sixteen, 
John  Cornwell  by  name.  He  was  one  of  the 
gunners.  Scarcely  had  the  battle  begun  when 
he  was  severely  wounded,  but  he  was  brave 
and  would  not  leave  his  post. 

One  by  one  his  comrades  fell,  dead  or  dying, 
around  him.  Again  and  again  Jack  was  wounded, 
but  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  forsake  his 
duty. 

There  he  stood,  obeying  orders  until  the  last 
shot  was  fired  and  the  battle  was  ended.  Then 
he  dropped  to  the  deck.  Gently  they  carried 
him  below. 

In    the    hospital    he    was    nursed    with    great 


245 

care  and  tenderness,  but  he  had  been  mortally 
wounded  and  his  life  went  out.  He  had  given 
his  all  for  his  country. 

Just  before  he  died,  the  nurse  who  had  watched 
over  him  so  faithfully  asked,  '  What  were  you 
doing  during  that  awful  fire?" 

The  dying  lad  raised  his  eyes  and  replied, 
"Just  doing  my  duty,  that's  all." 

What  part  did  John  Cornwell  take  in  the  World  War  ? 
How  did  he  show  his  bravery  and  faithfulness  ? 
What  price  did  he  pay  for  his  bravery  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Jutland  is  a  part  of  Denmark.  Find  it  on  the  map. 
The  Victoria  Cross  is  a  medal  given  by  England  for 
unusual  bravery.  It  was  named  for  Queen  Victoria.  Go  to 
the  library  and  find  a  picture  of  it.  "  H.M.S."  stands  for 
"  His  Majesty's  Ship,"  meaning  a  ship  of  the  English  Navy. 
"Far  exceeded  "  means  were  far  greater  than.  Give  other 
words  for  severely,  persuaded.  "  Mortally  wounded  "  means 
wounded  so  that  he  died. 


246 


THE  JUMPING-MATCH 
HANS  CHRISTIAN  ANDERSEN 

The  flea,  the  grasshopper,  and  the  frog  once 
wanted  to  see  which  of  them  could  jump  the 
highest.  They  made  a  festival  and  invited  the 
whole  world  and  every  one  else  who  liked  to  come 
to  see  the  grand  sight;  Three  famous  jumpers 
they  were,  as  all  would  say,  when  they  met 
together  in  the  room. 

'  I  will  give  my  daughter  to  him  who  shall 
jump  highest/'  said  the  king;  "it  would  be  too 
bad  for  you  to  have  the  jumping  and  for  us  to 
offer  no  prize." 

The  flea  was  the  first  to  come  forward.  He 
had  very  pretty  manners  and  bowed  to  the 
company  on  every  side,  for  he  was  of  noble 
blood  and,  besides,  wras  accustomed  to  the  society 
of  man. 

Next  came  the  grasshopper.  He  was  not  quite 
so  elegantly  formed  as  the  flea,  but  he  knew  how 
to  conduct  himself  and  he  wore  the  green  uni- 
form with  which  he  was  born.  He  said,  moreover, 


248 

that  he  came  of  a  very  ancient  Egyptian  family 
and  that  in  the  house  where  he  then  lived  he  was 
much  thought  of. 

The  fact  was  that  he  had  been  just  brought 
out  of  the  fields  and  put  in  a  card  house  three 
stories  high  built  on  purpose  for  him,  with  the 
colored  sides  inwards  and  the  doors  and  win- 
dows cut  out  of  the  Queen  of  Hearts.  '  And  I 
sing  so  well,"  said  he,  "that  sixteen  parlor-bred 
crickets  who  have  chirped  from  infancy  and  yet 
got  no  one  to  build  them  card  houses  to  live  in 
have  fretted  themselves  thinner  even  than  before, 
with  envy,  on  hearing  me.7' 

It  was  thus  that  the  flea  and  the  grasshopper 
made  the  most  of  themselves,  each  thinking  him- 
self quite  an  equal  match  for  the  princess. 

The  leapfrog  said  not  a  word ;  but  people  said 
that  perhaps  he  thought  the  more,  and  the  house- 
dog who  snuffed  at  him  with  his  nose  allowed 
that  he  was  of  good  family. 

'  I  say  nothing  for  the  present,"  said  the  king; 
:'  yet  I  have  my  own  opinion,  for  I  observe 
everything." 


249 

And  now  the  match  began.  The  flea  jumped 
so  high  that  no  one  could  see  what  had  become 
of  him,  and  so  they  insisted  that  he  had  not 
jumped  at  all --which  was  disgraceful,  after  all 
the  fuss  he  had  made. 

The  grasshopper  jumped  only  half  as  high ; 
but  he  leaped  into  the  king's  face,  who  was 
disgusted  by  his  rudeness. 

The  leapfrog  stood  for  a  long  time,  as  if  lost 
in  thought.  People  began  to  think  that  he  would 
not  jump  at  all. 

'I'm  afraid  he  is  ill!77  said  the  dog,  and  he 
went  to  snuff  at  him  again  -  -  when  lo  !  he  sprang 
with  a  little  crooked  jump  right  into  the  lap  of 
the  princess,  who  sat  close  by  on  a  low  golden 
stool. 

"There  is  nothing  higher  than  my  daughter," 
said  the  king ;  "  therefore  to  bound  into  her  lap 
is  the  highest  jump  that  can  be  made.  Only  one 
of  good  mind  would  ever  have  thought  of  that. 
The  frog  has  shown  that  he  has  sense.  He  has 
brains  in  his  head --that  he  has.77 

And  so  he  won  the  princess. 


M7 


250 

'  I  jumped  the  highest;,  for  all  that/'  said  the 
flea;  "but  it's  all  the  same  to  me.  The  princess 
may  have  the  stiff-legged,  slimy  creature,  if  she 
likes.  In  this  world,  dullness  and  heaviness  win 
the  day.  I  am  too  light  and  airy  for  a  stupid 
world." 

And  so  the  flea  went  into  military  service,  where 
it  is  said  he  was  killed. 

The  grasshopper  sat  without  on  a  green  bank 
and  thought  on  the  world  and  its  ways,  and  he 
too  said,  '  Yes,  dullness  and  heaviness  win  the 
day."  And  then  he  began  to  sing  his  own  song- 
and  it  is  from  his  song  that  we  have  taken  this 
little  piece  of  history,  which  may  very  possibly 
be  all  untrue  although  it  does  stand  printed  here 
in  black  and  w^hite. 

What  was  the  prize  in  the  jumping-match.  ? 
Tell  about  each  jumper. 
Tell  how  each  one  jumped. 
Why  did  the  frog  win  the  prize  ? 


251 


HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  is?  festival,  invited,  fretted,  bound, 
slimy.     "Noble  blood"   means   of   good  family;    "accus- 
tomed to  the  society  of  man,"  used  to  being  with  men  ; 
"to  conduct  himself,"  to  behave  ;  parlor-bred,  well  brought 
up,  or  well  trained  ;  "from  infancy,"  from  babyhood  ;  "lost 
in  thought,"  thinking  deeply. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ea  in  heaviness.    Find  another  word 
in  the  story  where  e  =  e.   Give  the  sound  of  ea  in  flea.   Give 
the  sound  of  ee  in  green.    Find  words  in  the  story  where 
e  =  e  and  eo  =  e. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
elegantly  (el'e  gant  li)  :  handsomely,  gracefully 
ancient  (in'shent)  :  very  old 
Egyptian  (e  jip'slian)  :    belonging  to  Egypt,  a  country  in 

Africa 

opinion  (o  pin'yun)  :  feeling,  belief 
disgraceful  (dis  gras'f ool)  :  shameful 
disgusted  (dis  gust'ed)  :  offended 
military  (mll'i  ta  ri)  :  having  to  do  with  soldiers,  arms,  or 

war 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  • 
forward  offer  half 

For  spelling  see  page  391. 


252 


THE  TUG  OF  WAR 

In  the  long  ago  the  tortoise,  the  elephant,  and 
the  whale  were  good  friends.  In  those  days  the 
whale  often  walked  with  his  friends  on  the  land. 

One  day  the  tortoise  and  the  elephant  were 
walking  by  the  seashore. 

'Friend  elephant,"  said  the  tortoise,  'I  can 
pull  you  into  the  water." 

'  No,  you  can't,"  replied  the  elephant,  "  you  are 
not  big  enough," 


253 

'  Yes,  I  can/7  was  the  answer.  '  Take  hold  of 
this  rope  and  I'll  show  you." 

The  elephant  was  much  amused  at  the  little 
creature's  challenge,  but  caught  the  end  of  the 
rope  with  his  trunk  to  please  him. 

The  tortoise  picked  up  the  other  end  and  slipped 
into  the  water.  There  he  met  his  friend  the  whale. 

''Friend  whale,"  said  he,  "1  can  pull  you  out 
of  the  water." 

r  No,  you  can't,"  replied  the  w^hale;  '  you're 
not  strong  enough." 

'  Let's  try  and  see,"  said  the  tortoise.  'Take 
this  end  of  the  rope." 

The  big  whale  laughingly  caught  the  rope  with 
his  flippers  and  threw  it  over  his  head.  Then 
the  little  tortoise  swam  back  to  the  land.  The 
whale  pulled  and  pulled  with  all  his  might. 

'Brother  tortoise  must  be  very  strong,"  said 
he;  '  if  I  don't  pull  harder,  he'll  soon  have  me 
out  of  the  water." 

The  elephant  pulled  and  tugged  at  the  other 
end,  but  felt  himself  losing  ground.  Then  he  gave 
the  rope  a  sudden  jerk.  Snap  !  it  parted  in  the 


254 

middle,  and  the  clumsy  elephant  rolled  over  and 
over  on  the  sand.  Splash  !  the  whale  went  under 
the  water,  and  there  he  has  remained  ever  since. 
The  tortoise  sat  on  the  beach  watching  the  tug 
of  war  he  had  so  cleverly  planned.  He  laughed 
until  his  sides  ached  when  he  thought  how  he 
had  fooled  the  elephant  and  the  whale. 

Name  the  three  friends. 

What  boast  was  made  by  the  little  one  ? 

What  trick  did  he  play  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  amused,  creature,  sudden,  clumsy, 
remained.   Tell  another  story  of  a  tortoise.    Tell  one  about 
an  elephant.    Give  another  good  name  for  this  story. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ph  in  elephant.    Give  the  sound  of 
gh  in  enough.    Give  the  sound  of  gh  in  laughed.    What  two 
letters  do  you  not  hear  in  caught  ?  What  two  letters  do  you 
not  hear  in  thought  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
challenge  (chal'enj) :  invitation  to  enter  a  contest 
flippers  (flip'erz)  :  broad,  flat  limbs  used  for  swimming 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


255 


THE  ELEPHANT 

OLIVER  HEEFORD 

This  is  the  Elephant,  who  lives 

With  but  one  aim  -  -  to  please. 

His  ivory  tusk  he  freely  gives 

To  make  piano  keys. 

One  grief  he  has  -  -  however  he  tries, 

He  never  can  forget 

That  one  of  his  enormous  size 

Can't  be  a  household  pet. 

Then  does  he  to  his  grief  give  way, 

Or  sink  'neath  sorrow's  ban  ? 

Oh,  no ;  instead  he  spends  each  day 

Contriving  some  unselfish  way 

To  be  of  use  to  Man. 

What  does  the  elephant  always  try  to  do  ? 

About  what  does  he  grieve  ? 

Instead  of  worrying  about  this,  what  does  he  plan  ? 


256 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 


Give  other  words  for  aim,  grief,  enormous,  'neatk.  Draw 
a  picture  of  the  elephant's  tusks.  Tell  something  made 
from  them.  Name  some  "  household  pets."  "  Sorrow's  ban" 
means  sorrow's  weight  or  burden ;  contriving,  planning. 


THE  ELEPHANT  1 
HILAIRE  BELLOC 

When  people  call  this  beast  to  mind, 
They  marvel  more  and  more 

At  such  a  little  tail  behind, 
So  large  a  trunk  before. 


1  By  permission,  from  "  The  Bad  Child's  Book  of  Beasts,"  by  Hilaire 
Belloc.    Published  by  E.  P.  Button  &  Company. 


257 


THE  CRAB  AND  THE  FOX 
MINNA  B.  NOYES 

A  crab  crept  out  of  the  brook  upon  the  green 
grass  of  a  meadow.  A  fox  came  by,  saw  the 
crab  creeping  slowly  along,  and  said  to  him 
jokingly :  '  Well,  Mr.  Crab,  where  are  you  going 
so  slowly?  I  notice  from  your  walk  that  you 
can  go  better  sidewise  than  forward.  When  do 
you  think  you  will  reach  the  other  end  of  the 
field?77 

The  crab  was  not  a  foolish  fellow,  and  he 
answered :  :'  Mr.  Fox,  you  do  not  know  me. 
I  can  run  faster  than  you.  If  you  do  not  believe 
it,  I  can  prove  it  to  you.  Will  you  run  a  race 
with  me?77 

'I  should  like  nothing  better,"  said  the  fox. 

:'How  far  shall  we  run?77  asked  the  crab;  "I 
think  a  half  mile,  or  perhaps  a  whole  mile.  That 
will  not  be  too  much.77 

'Well,  a  mile,77  cried  the  fox,  and  the  crab 
began  again,  '  I  will  give  you  one  advantage, 
and  if  you  do  not  take  it,  I  will  not  run  at  all.77 


258 

:'  And  what  shall  this  advantage  be?"  asked 
the  fox. 

The  crab  answered:  '  It  shall  be  just  a  fox's 
length.  Step  before  me  so  that  your  hind  feet 
are  by  my  head,  and  when  I  say  '  Ready '  we 
will  begin  to  run." 

That  pleased  the  fox,  and  he  said,  '  I  will 
obey  you."  Then  he  turned  his  thick,  bushy  tail 
toward  the  crab.  The  crab  seized  it  (but  the 
fox  did  not  know  this)  and  cried,  '  Ready." 
Then  the  fox  ran  as  he  had  never  run  before 
in  all  his  life ;  he  ran  so  that  his  feet  ached ;  and 
when  he  reached  the  goal  he  turned  around  and 
said :  '  Where  is  Mr.  Crab  ?  Where  are  you 
stopping  so  long,  sir?" 

But  the  crab,  who  now  stood  nearer  the  goal 
than  the  fox,  called  out  behind  him :  '  Where 
have  you  been  so  long  ?  I  have  been  standing 
here  a  long  time  waiting  for  you." 

The  fox  was  almost  beside  himself  with  won- 
der, and  said,  "There  is  some  fraud  here."  Then 
he  put  his  tail  between  his  legs  and  ran  away. 
He  never  laughed  at  a  crab  again. 


259 

Did  the  fox  and  the  crab  start  even  in  the  race  ? 
Which  one  had  the  advantage  ? 
Why  did  the  crab  allow  this  advantage  ? 
How  was  the  fox  fooled  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  notice,  obey,  fraud.  A  goal  is  the 
place  at  which  a  race  is  to  end. 

2.  Find  a  word  in  the  story  where  gh  =  f .  Give  the  sound 
of  ch  in  reach.    Give  the  sound  of  ch  in  much.   In  ached, 
ch  =  k. 

Pronounce  this  word,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
advantage  (ad  van'taj)  :  gain  or  benefit 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  '• 
backward  length  faster 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


260 


THE  TRAVELS  OF  A  FOX 

A  fox  was  digging  behind  a  stump,  and  he 
found  a  bumblebee.  The  fox  put  the  bumble- 
bee in  a  bag  and  he  traveled. 

At  the  first  house  he  came  to  he  went  in,  and 
he  said  to  the  mistress  of  the  house,  "  May  I  leave 
my  bag  here  while  I  go  over  to  Squintum's?  " 

'  Yes/7  said  the  woman. 

'Then  be  careful  not  to  open  the  bag,"  said 
the  fox. 

But  as  soon  as  the  fox  was  out  of  sight,  the 
woman  just  took  a  little  peep  into  the  bag  and 
out  flew  the  bumblebee,  and  the  rooster  caught 
him  and  ate  him  up. 

After  a  while  the  fox  came  back.  He  took  up 
his  bag  and  saw  that  the  bumblebee  was  gone,  and 
said  to  the  woman,  "  Where  is  my  bumblebee?" 

And  the  woman  said,  "  I  just  untied  the  bag, 
and  the  bumblebee  flew  out,  and  the  rooster  ate 
him  up." 

'Very  well,"  said  the  fox,  'I  must  have  the 
rooster,  then." 


261 

So  he  caught  the  rooster  and  put  him  in  his 
bag  and  traveled. 

When  he  came  to  the  next  house  he  went  in,  and 
said  to  the  mistress  of  the  house,  <:'  May  I  leave 
my  bag  here  while  I  go  over  to  Squintum's?  " 

'Yes,"  said  the  woman. 

'Then  be  careful  not  to  open  the  bag,"  said 
the  fox. 

But  as  soon  as  the  fox  was  out  of  sight,  the 
woman  peeped  into  the  bag,  the  rooster  flew 
out,  and  the  pig  caught  him  and  ate  him  up. 

After  a  while  the  fox  came  back.  He  took  up 
his  bag  and  saw  that  the  rooster  was  not  in  it,  and 
said  to  the  woman,  "  Where  is  my  rooster?" 

And  the  woman  said,  "  I  just  untied  the  bag, 
and  the  rooster  flew  out  and  the  pig  ate  him." 

'Very  well,"  said  the  fox,  'I  must  have  the 
pig,  then." 

So  he  caught  the  pig  and  put  him  in  his 
bag  and  traveled. 

When  he  came  to  the  next  house  he  went  in, 
and  he  said  to  the  mistress  of  the  house,  "  May  I 
leave  my  bag  here  while  I  go  over  to  Squintum's?  " 


262 

'Yes,"  said  the  woman. 

"  Then  be  careful  not  to  open  the  bag,"  said 
the  fox. 

But  as  soon  as  the  fox  was  out  of  sight,  the 
woman  just  took  a  little  peep  into  the  bag, 
and  the  pig  jumped  out  and  the  ox  ate  him. 

After  a  w^hile  the  fox  came  back.  He  took 
up  his  bag  and  he  saw  that  the  pig  was 
gone,  and  he  said  to  the  woman,  '  Where  is 
my  pig?" 

And  the  woman  said,  "  I  just  untied  the  bag, 
and  the  pig  jumped  out  and  the  ox  ate  him." 

'Very  well,"  said  the  fox,  'I  must  have  the 
ox,  then." 

So  he  caught  the  ox  and  put  him  in  his 
bag  and  traveled. 

When  he  came  to  the  next  house  he  went  in, 
and  he  said  to  the  mistress  of  the  house, 
"  May  I  leave  my  bag  here  while  I  go  over 
to  Squintum's?" 

'Yes,"  said   the  woman. 

'Then  be  careful  not  to  open  the  bag,"  said 
the  fox. 


263 

But  as  soon  as  the  fox  was  out  of  sight,  the 
woman  just  took  a  little  peep  into  the  bag, 
and  the  ox  got  out  and  the  woman's  little  boy 
chased  him  away  off  over  the  fields. 

After  a  while  the  fox  came  back.  He  took 
up  his  bag  and  he  saw  that  the  ox  wras  gone, 
and  he  said  to  the  woman,  "  Where  is  my  ox?" 

And  the  woman  said,  "  1  just  untied  the  bag, 
and  the  ox  got  out  and  my  little  boy  chased  him 
away  off  over  the  fields.7' 

'Very  well,"  said  the  fox,  "I  must  have  the 
little  boy,  then  !  " 

So  he  caught  the  little  boy,  and  he  put  him 
in  his  bag  and  he  traveled. 

When  he  came  to  the  next  house  he  went  in, 
and  he  said  to  the  mistress  of  the  house, 
:'  May  1  leave  my  bag  here  while  I  go  over  to 
Squintum's?" 

'Yes,"  said  the  woman. 

'Then  be  careful  not  to  open  the  bag,"  said 
the  fox. 

The  woman  was  making  cake,  and  her  chil- 
dren were  around  her,  asking  for  some. 


264 

"0  mother,  give  me  a  piece,'7  said  one;  and 
"  0  mother,  give  me  a  piece,"  said  the  others. 

And  the  smell  of  the  cake  came  to  the  little 
boy  who  was  weeping  and  crying  in  the  bag, 
and  he  heard  the  children  asking  for  cake  and 
he  said,  "  0  mammy,  give  me  a  piece.'7 

Then  the  woman  opened  the  bag  and  took 
the  little  boy  out,  and  she  put  the  house  dog 
in  the  bag  in  the  little  boy's  place.  And  the 
little  boy  stopped  crying  and  had  some  cake 
with  the  others. 

After  a  while  the  fox  came  back.  He  took 
up  his  bag  and  saw  that  it  was  tied  fast,  and  he 
put  it  over  his  back  and  traveled  far  into  the 
woods.  Then  he  sat  down  and  untied  the  bag, 
and  if  the  little  boy  had  been  there  in  the 
bag,  things  would  have  gone  badly  with  him. 

But  the  little  boy  was  safe  in  the  woman's 
house,  and  when  the  fox  untied  the  bag  the 
house  dog  jumped  out  and  ate  him  all  up. 

Why  did  the  fox  demand  the  rooster  ? 

What  happened  at  each  house  where  he  stopped  ? 

How  was  the  fox  fooled  at  last  ? 


265 


HOW  FIRE  WAS  BROUGHT  TO  THE  INDIANS 
MARY  CATHERINE  JUDD 

Long,  long  ago  all  the  fire  on  earth  was  in 
the  tepee  of  one  old  Indian  chief.  A  young 
caribou  said  that  he  would  get  the  fire  from 
the  old  chief's  tepee.  The  Indians  tied  a  great 
dry  branch  to  his  big  antlers.  The  young  cari- 
bou put  his  head  into  the  fire  tepee  and  tried 
to  reach  the  coals,  but  he  could  not  do  it. 
The  wise  chief  drove  him  away. 

But  while  the  old  chief  was  driving  back 
the  young  caribou,  a  muskrat  crept  into  the 
tepee.  .He  reached  the  precious  coals  of  fire 
and  caught  one  in  his  mouth.  He  ran  back 
into  the  woods  with  it.  Before  he  could  reach 
his  own  burrow  he  had  to  drop  the  burning 
coal.  It  fell  on  the  dry  leaves  and  set  the  woods 


M7 


266 

on  fire.  You  can  see  now  where  the  muskrat 
burned  himself. 

All  the  world  has  fire  now,  and  there  has 
always  been  enough  since  the  muskrat  dropped 
the  first  coal.  The  fire  melted  the  ice  in  the 
rivers  and  lakes  so  that  men  had  water  to  drink. 

The  old  chief  has  never  been  seen  since 
that  time. 

Who  set  out  to  get  the  fire  from  the  old  Indian  chief  ? 
Who  really  did  get  it  ? 
What  happened  to  it  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1 .  Give  another  word  for  tepee.    What  are  the  antlers  of 
the  caribou  ?    Tell  the  story  of  how  the  rabbit  caught  the 
sun  in  a  trap.    Can  you  tell  the  story  of  how  light  first 
came  to  the  world  ? 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  i  in  rivers.    Give  the  sound  of  i  in 
with.    In  been,  ee  =  i. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373.: 
caribou  (kaVi  boo)  :  a  kind  of  reindeer 
muskrat  (musk 'rat)  :  a  water  rat 

burrow  (bur'o)  :    a  hole  in  the  ground  made  by  animals 
such  as  rabbits 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


267 


PROMETHEUS  AND  THE  GIFT  OF  FIRE 

Fire  is  said  to  be  a  good  servant  but  a  bad 
master.  Every  boy  scout  must  learn  how  to 
make  a  fire  and  how  to  put  it  out.  The  serv- 
ant that  gives  a  cheerful  blaze  to  the  camp, 
and  heat  for  cooking  the  food,  may  turn  master 
and  burn  up  both  camp  and  forest. 

How  helpless  one  may  be  without  the  means 
of  making  a  fire !  How  proud  a  boy  is  to  be 
able  to  start  his  camp  fire  with  a  single  match ! 


268 

And  when  lie  learns  to  get  a  tiny  spark  with- 
out matches,  after  the  manner  of  the  Indians, 
he  is  as  happy  as  a  king. 

He  who  made  the  first  camp  fire  must  indeed 
have  been  a  king  or  a  giant  or  a  god,  thought 
the  people  in  olden  times.  For  some  great  one 
must  have  given  man  such  a  gift.  The  Greeks 
thought  they  owed  the  gift  of  fire  to  a  giant 
called  Prometheus. 

Prometheus  beheld  the  race  of  men  living  in 
caves  and  helpless  against  the  cold  and  against 
wild  beasts,  and  he  brought  fire  to  them. 

Jupiter,  the  king  of  the  gods,  was  jealous 
that  weak  man  should  have  this  power  to 
master  the  earth  and  all  its  creatures.  To  punish 
Prometheus  and  to  prevent  him  from  bringing 
any  more  gifts  to  man,  Jupiter  gave  him  over 
to  two  heartless  giants,  Strength  and  Force, 
and  ordered  him  to  be  chained  to  a  rock  in  the 
earth's  wildest  mountains. 

Why  do  we  need  fire  ? 

How  many  ways  do  you  know  of  making  fire  ? 

Whom  did  the  Greeks  call  the  fire-bringer  ? 


269 


PROMETHEUS,  THE  FIRE-BRINGER 

CAROLINE  B.  CHURCHILL 
Scene  :  Ancient  Greece  —  the  open  country  or  a  forest 

(Enter  Women) 

IST  WOMAN.    Alas  !   Alas ! 

2o  WOMAN.    Woe  !   Woe  ! 

3o  WOMAN.    The  gods  have  mercy  on  us ! 

4Tii  WOMAN.  That  which  they  gave  they  have 
taken  away. 

STH  WOMAN.  Ah!  What  shall  we  do?  What 
shall  we  do  ? 

(Enter  a  Man) 

MAN.   Why  do  ye  weep  and  wail,  0  sisters  ? 

IST  WOMAN.  Knowest  thou  not  what  hath  hap- 
pened during  the  great  storm  and  flood  ? 

MAN.  I  know  that  my  goats  were  drowned  and 
that  my  fire  was  put  out. 

2D  WOMAN.    That  is  it !    That  is  it ! 

SD  WOMAN.  Aye,  all  our  fires  are  out, — and  not 
only  ours,  but  Hestia's. 

MAN.   Hestia's  fire  out! 


270 

4xH  WOMAN.  Aye ;  the  sacred  fire  in  Hestia's 
altar  is  out,  alas. 

WOMEN.  Woe !  Woe !  Alas !  Alas !  Hestia's  fire 
is  out. 

MAN.  I  should  never  have  thought  that  it  could 
be :  I  had  thought  that  though  all  our  fires  were 
out,  we  should  have  Hestia's  with  which  to  relight 
them.  The  gods  must  indeed  be  angry  with  us. 
What  have  we  done  to  bring  this  upon  us? 

IST  WOMAN.  Aye.  What  have  we  done?  Have 
we  not  sacrificed  sheep,  and  goats,  and  oxen? 
Have  we  not  offered  the  fruits  of  our  fields  and 
orchards?  Have  not  our  burnt  offerings  sent  up 
a  sweet  odor  to  the  gods?  Why,  then,  are  they 
angry  with  us  ? 

WOMEN.    Alas  !  Alas  ! 

IST  WOMAN.  The  temple  of  Hestia  was  unroofed 
by  the  hurricane,  and  the  sacred  fire  put  out  by 
the  rain. 

WOMEN.  Woe  !  Woe  !  Alas  !  Alas ! 

IST  WOMAN.    Fire  is  gone  from  the  earth. 

2o  WOMAN.  The  best  gift  of  the  gods !  Gone 
from  the  earth ! 


271 

MAN.  But  the  sun  is  still  in  the  sky,  and  we 
are  warm  and  dry  again  after  the  rain.  Who 
need  weep? 

2D  WOMAN.  But  the  night  is  coming  again  and 
we  shall  be  cold. 

3o  WOMAN.  And  when  we  go  forth  in  the  black 
darkness,  where  shall  we  find  a  torch  to  guide 
our  feet? 

4Tii  WOMAN.  Aye,  and  the  winter  is  coming,  with 
snow  and  sleet,  and  we  shall  have  no  fire  by  day 
or  (shivering)  by  night. 

(Enter  a  Priest) 

PRIEST.  Do  not  stand  idly  here.  This  is  no 
time  for  weeping.  Hasten  to  the  ruins  of  the 
temple.  Offer  sheep  and  oxen  on  the  cold  altar. 
Alas !  we  can  offer  no  more  burnt  offerings.  But 
do  what  ye  can.  Away !  Away ! 

(Enter  Prometheus) 

MAN.  All  hail,  Prometheus !  What  news  bring- 
est  thou?  I  see  in  thy  face  that  it  is  good. 

PROM.  Aye,  truly.  Be  not  downcast,  sisters; 
our  friend  is  right. 


272 

MAN.  Hast  thou  found  fire  somewhere  --  fire 
that  escaped  the  storm? 

PROM.  Aye,  I  have  here  fire  that  escaped  the 
storm,  but  not  as  thou  thinkest  however  (Shows  a 
fire-stick  and  string).  I  will  soon  show  you.  Look 
now !  See  ye  this  ?  (Holds  up  the  fire-stick  and 
string) 

PRIEST.   I  see  it,  but  what  of  it? 

PROM.  This.  (He  sets  the  stick  whirling.  All  gather 
round) 

PRIEST.  What  is  this  folly?  Hath  this  great 
misfortune  turned  the  poor  man's  head  ? 

MAN.  What  meanest  thou,  Prometheus?  There 
is  no  fire  in  that  wood. 

PROM.  Have  patience.  I  promise  that  ye  shall 
have  fire  ere  I  am  done  with  this. 

PRIEST.  What?  Wilt  thou  bring  down  fire  from 
heaven  ? 

PROM.   No,  but  I  will  bring  it  from  the  earth. 

PRIEST.   Thou  speakest  as  if  thou  wert  a  god. 

PROM.  I  am  no  god,  only  a  man;  but  a  man 
that  uses  his  wits  is  not  far  from  a  god. 

PRIEST.   That  is  foolish. 


273 

PROM.  Perhaps.  But  I  will  show  you  that  a 
man  that  uses  his  wits  can  make  fire.  (He  keeps 
on  whirling  the  stick) 

PRIEST.   I  will  listen  to  no  more  folly.     (Exit) 

MAN.   It  smokes !    It  smokes ! 

WOMEN.   Ah ! 

MAN.   It  burns ! 

WOMEN.  It  burns  !  It  burns !  (They  stand  watch- 
ing. The  man  puts  a  stick  to  the  spark  and  it  bursts  into 
flame.  He  waves  it) 

WOMEN  (dancing  and  clapping).  Ah !  It  burns ! 
Rejoice ! 

IST  WOMAN.  Prometheus  hath  brought  us  fire  ! 
All  hail,  Prometheus,  bringer  of  fire ! 

MAN  (waving  the  firebrand).  All  hail,  Prometheus, 
bringer  of  fire  to  man ! 

WOMEN.  All  hail,  Prometheus,  bringer  of  fire  to 
man.  (They  dance,  waving  firebrands) 

MAN.  I  sing  in  honor  of  Prometheus,  the  wise 
man,  the  fire-bringer. 

WOMEN.   Aye,  the  wise  man,  the  fire-bringer. 

MAN.  Who  but  Prometheus  could  have  brought 
fire  to  man? 


274 

WOMAN.    None  but  Prometheus. 

MAN.  Who  but  Prometheus  would  have  thought 
of  looking  for  fire  in  wood  ? 

2D  WOMAN.    None  but  Prometheus. 

MAN.  Prometheus  hath  said,  "  He  that  uses  his 
mind  is  the  next  thing  to  a  god." 

3o  WOMAN    Prometheus,  then,  is  almost  a  god. 

WOMEN.   Aye.    Aye. 

MAN.  Let  us  then  honor  Prometheus,  bringer 
of  tire  to  man. 

2o  WOMAN.  Honor  to  Prometheus !  (They  march 
around  in  procession,  Prometheus  sitting  on  a  high  rock 
and  laughing) 

MAN.  Prometheus  hath  driven  fear  from  our 
hearts.  No  longer  do  we  fear  the  night.  No 
longer  do  we  fear  the  winter.  When  we  go  forth 
in  the  black  darkness,  there  shall  be  light  on  our 
path.  When  the  winter  wind  whirls  the  snow 
around  our  homes,  the  logs  shall  burn  on  our 
hearthstones.  Our  houses  shall  be  warm  and 
the  meats  shall  be  roasted  in  our  ovens. 

3i>  WOMAN.  Honor  Prometheus,  the  wise  man, 
the  fire-bringer ! 


276 

IST  WOMAN.  Others  looked  to  the  sky  for  help, 
but  Prometheus  looked  to  the  earth,  and  the  earth 
answered  him  and  gave  him  fire  for  man. 

4xn  WOMAN.  Eejoice  !  rejoice  !  Prometheus  hath 
given  fire  to  man. 

IST  WOMAN.  Aye ;  the  gods  are  wise,  but  so  is 
man  if  he  will  use  his  wits. 

MAN.  The  wisdom  that  the  gods  gave  let  man 
use  and  be  happy. 

IST  WOMAN.  Honor  to  Prometheus,  the  man  who 
used  his  wits  for  his  fellow  men. 

(All  dance) 

Why  were  the  women  weeping  ? 
Who  came  to  help  them  ? 
How  did  he  help  ? 

HELPS   TO   STUDY 

1.  Hestia  is  the  goddess  of  the  hearth  or  family;  in 
pictures  she  is  shown  as  richly  draped  and  veiled.  Give 
other  words  for  wail,  odor,  hurricane,  torch,  hasten,  whirl- 
ing, ere.  An  altar  is  a  raised  block  or  stand  on  which 
sacrifices  are  offered  in  the  worship  of  a  god.  A  burnt 
offering  is  an  animal,  such  as  a  goat  or  a  bull,  burned  on 
the  altar  in  honor  of  the  gods.  Sacred  fire  is  holy  fire  that 
was  given  by  the  gods.  "All  hail"  means  welcome;  wits, 


277 

brains  ;  firebrands,  pieces  of  burning  wood ;  "  fellow  men," 
other  men,  friends,  neighbors. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  i  in  gift.  In  women,  o  =  i.  Give 
the  sound  of  er  in  winter.  In  altar,  ar  =  er.  In  odor,  or  = 
er.  In  honor,  or=er. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 

Prometheus  (pro  me'thus)  :  a  giant  supposed  to  have  lived 

in  the  earliest  times 

sacrificed  (sak'ri  fizd)  :  offered  to  the  gods 
downcast  (doun'kast) :  sorrowful 
escaped  (8s  kapt')  :  got  out  of  the  way 
folly  (fol'i)  :  foolishness 
misfortune  (mis  for'tun)  :  bad  luck,  trouble 
hearth  (harth)  :  floor  of  a  fireplace 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
drowned  catches  .        ah 

For  spelling  see  page  392, 


278 

FLINT  1 
CHRISTINA  G.  ROSSETTI 

An  emerald  is  as  green  as  grass ; 

A  ruby  red  as  blood ; 
A  sapphire  shines  as  blue  as  heaven ; 

A  flint  lies  in  the  mud. 

A  diamond  is  a  brilliant  stone, 

To  catch  the  world's  desire ; 
An  opal  holds  a  fiery  spark ; 

But  a  flint  holds  fire. 

What  way  of  making  fire  is  spoken  of  in   this  little 


poem? 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 


Flint  is  a  very  hard  stone  which  strikes  fire.  Give 
another  word  for  brilliant.  '  To  catch  the  world's 
desire  "  is  to  please  people. 

1  From  "  Sing  Song,''  by  C.  G.  Rossetti.  Used  by  permission  of  The 
Macmillan  Company,  Publishers, 


279 


THE  WISE  YOUNG  KING 

Solomon  was  the  son  of  King  David  and  was 
not  more  than  twenty  years  old  when  he  became 
king  of  Israel.  Soon  after,  he  had  a  dream  in 
which  the  Lord  spoke  to  him,  saying,  "  Ask  of  me 
whatever  thou  choosest  and  I  will  give  it  to  thee." 

And  Solomon  said  to  the  Lord :  "  Thou  hast 
shown  great  kindness  to  my  father,  David,  and 
now  Thou  hast  made  me  king  in  my  father's 
place.  I  am  only  a  child.  I  know  not  how  to 
rule  this  land.  Give  me,  I  pray  Thee,  wisdom 
and  knowledge,  that  I  may  know  how  to  rule 
my  people." 

The  Lord  was  pleased  with  Solomon's  choice 
and  He  said  to  him,  "  Since  thou  hast  not  asked 
of  me  long  life,  nor  great  riches,  nor  power,  but 
hast  asked  for  wisdom  to  rule  thy  people,  I  have 
given  thee  wisdom  greater  than  any  king  before 
thee  and  greater  than  that  of  any  king  that  shall 


280 

come  after  thee.  And  I  will  give  thee  not  only 
wisdom  but  also  honor  and  riches.  And  if  thou 
wilt  obey  my  words,  thou  shalt  have  long  life  and 
shalt  rule  for  many  years.'7 

And  Solomon's  dream  came  true,  for  he  was 
wise  and  rich  and  powerful,  and  lived  long. 

Solomon's  great  work  was  the  building  of  the 
Temple.  His  father,  King  David,  had  prepared 
for  it.  He  had  laid  up  great  treasures  of  gold, 
and  silver,  and  brass,  and  iron,  and  cedar  wood. 
The  walls  were  made  of  stone  and  the  roof  of 
cedar.  All  the  stones  for  the  building  of  the 
Temple  were  hewn  into  shape  and  fitted  together 
before  they  were  brought  to  the  mountain  on 
which  it  was  to  be  built.  And  all  the  beams  for 
the  roof  were  made  to  join  each  other,  so  that  as 
the  walls  were  built  there  was  no  sound  of  ham- 
mer or  chisel.  The  famous  building  arose  quietly. 
It  took  seven  years  to  build  this  temple. 

Under  King  Solomon  the  land  of  Israel  became 
very  great.  All  the  countries  around  sent  their 
princes  to  visit  Solomon,  and  every  one  who  saw 
him  wondered  at  his  wisdom.  It  was  said  that 


281 

King  Solomon  was  the  wisest  man  in  the  whole 
world.  He  wrote  many  songs  and  wise  sayings. 
Here  are  some  of  them : 

Go  to  the  ant,  thou  sluggard ;    consider  her  ways,  and 

be  wise. 

A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father. 
A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath. 
A  merry  heart  maketh  a  cheerful  countenance. 
He  that  is  slow  to   anger  is  better  than  the   mighty; 

and  he  that  ruleth  his  spirit  than  he  that  taketh 

a  city. 

He  that  tilleth  his  land  shall  have  plenty  of  bread. 
There  be  four  things  which  are  little  upon  the  earth, 

but  they  are  exceeding  wise : 
The    ants    are    a    people    not    strong,    yet   they   prepare 

their  meat  in  the  summer ; 
The  conies  are  but  a  feeble  folk,  yet  make  they  their 

houses  in  the  rocks; 
The   locusts   have    no   king,    yet   go   they   forth   all    of 

them  by  bands ; 
The  spider  taketh  hold  with  her  hands,  and  is  in  kings' 

palaces. 

Who  was  Solomon  ? 

What  was  Solomon's  dream  ? 


282 

How  did  the  dream  come  true  ? 
What  was  his  work  as  king? 
Repeat  some  of  his  sayings. 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  tliee,  thou,  thy.   Cedar  is  a  kind 
of    evergreen  tree.    Hewn  means   cut  with  an  ax.    The 
method  of  building  spoken  of  in  the  story  is  sometimes 
used  now ;    it'  saves  time  and  money.     Sluggard  means 
lazy  person ;  consider,  study  ;  "  soft  answer,"  kind  words  ; 
"  cheerful  countenance,"  happy  face  ;  spirit,  temper ;  "  till- 
eth  the  land,"  plows  and  prepares  the  land  for  seed.   Give 
other  words  for  meat,  feeble,  exceeding.    A  cony  is  a  kind 
of  rabbit;  it  is  very  timid. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ea  in  great.    Give  the  sound  of  ea 
in  beams.    Give  the  sound  of  ea  in  bread.    Give  the  sound 
of  ea  in  meat. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373 : 
Israel  (iz'ra  el)  :  the  Jewish  people 
Solomon  (sSl'o  mun)  :  son  of  David  and  king  of  Israel 
powerful  (pou'er  fool)  :  strong 

treasures  (trezh'urz)  :  things  of  great  value  or  worth 
wrath  (rath)  :  violent  anger,  rage 
countenance  (koun'te  nans)  :  the  face 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


283 


THE  TOWER  THAT  WAS  NEVER  FINISHED 

It  is  said  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  world 
all  the  people  lived  in  one  place.  That  part  of 
the  earth  became  very  crowded,  and  many 
families  began  to  move  from  place  to  place,  look- 
ing for  new  homes.  Some  went  one  way  and 
some  another. 

All  the  people  moved  into  a  country  between 
two  great  rivers.  Here  they  found  that  the  soil 
could  be  made  into  bricks,  which  could  be  heated 
until  they  became  hard.  So  the  people  built  houses 
for  themselves.  Then  they  wanted  to  build  a 
great  city  and  rule  all  the  people  around  them. 

The  people  said  to  one  another :  '  Let  us  build 
a  great  tower,  whose  top  shall  reach  to  the  sky. 
And  let  us  give  a  name  to  our  city,  that  wre  may  be 
kept  together  and  not  scattered  over  the  earth.'7 

So  they  began  to  build  the  great  tower,  one 
story  above  another.  But  God  wished  the  whole 
earth  to  be  used  as  the  home  of  man,  and  this 
was  the  way  He  carried  out  His  plan  :  At  that 
time  all  men  were  speaking  the  same  language. 


284 

And  while  they  were  building  the  great  tower, 
God  caused  their  speech  to  be  changed.  Then 
they  could  not  understand  each  other.  So  they 
left  the  tower  without  finishing  it,  and  many  of 
them  went  away  to  other  lands.  And  the  tower 
stayed  forever  unfinished. 

The  people  that  belonged  to  one  family  could 
not  understand  those  of  another  family—  just  as, 
at  the  present  time,  the  English  cannot  talk  to  the 
French  until  they  have  learned  the  French  lan- 
guage. So  the  people  scattered  to  the  north  and 
to  the  south,  to  the  east  and  to  the  west,  and 
the  earth  became  covered  with  many  people,  living 
in  many  lands  and  speaking  many  languages. 

And  the  city  which  they  had  built  was  named 
Babel,  which  means  confusion,  because  it  was 
there  that  God  changed  the  language  of  all  the 
earth.  The  city  was  afterwards  known  as  Babylon, 
and  the  tower  as  the  tower  of  Babel. 

Why  did  the  people  look  for  new  houses  ? 
Where  did  many  of  them  settle,  and  what  did  they 
find  there  ? 

Why  did  the  people  want  to  build  a  city  ? 


286 

Why  was  the  tower  never  finished  ? 
What  was  it  called  ? 
What  was  the  city  known  as  ? 
What  does  the  name  mean  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  another  word  for  soil.    Describe  any  tower  that 
you  have  seen  or  read  about.    Have  you  ever  been  in  a 
country  where  you  could  not  understand  the  language? 
If  so,  tell  how  you  felt. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ea  =  a,  ea  =  e,  or  =  ur, 
and  ear  =  ur. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
language  (lang'gwaj)  :  speech 

Babel  (ba/bel)  :  a  city  or  tower  spoken  of  in  the  Bible 
confusion  (kon  fu'zhun)  :  disorder 
Babylon  (bab'I  Ion)  :  an  ancient  city  of  Western  Asia 

Pronounce  this  word,  using  dictionary,  pages  374~377  : 
afterwards 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


287 


THE  PICKPOCKET  IN  THE  ZOO1 
E.  V.  LUCAS 

On  my  last  visit  to  the  London  Zoological 
Gardens  I  saw  a  pickpocket.  At  every  turn  in 
the  Gardens  a  notice  warns  you  to  beware  of 
these  dangerous  faunas.  But  never  had  I  been 
robbed.  So  the  words  "Beware  of  pickpockets " 
I  had  indeed  come  to  look  upon  as  the  "  Wolf ! 
Wolf!"  of  the  fable. 

1  From  "London  Revisited." 


288 

The  day  was  so  hot  that  for  a  while  I  did 
a  thing  I  have  never  done  before :  I  sat  on  a 
chair  in  the  path  which  the  elephants  slowly 
parade  as  they  bear  their  loads  of  excited 
children ;  and  it  was  there  that  I  found  the 
pickpocket,  or,  if  you  like,  it  was  there  that 
he  found  me. 

I  had  always  thought  of  pickpockets  as  little 
chaps  capable  of  slipping  away  even  between 
men's  legs  in  a  crowd ;  this  fellow  was  big. 
Nor  did  he,  as  I  supposed  was  the  custom  of 
his  kind,  devote  himself  to  watches,  pocketbooks, 
and  handkerchiefs,  but  took  whatever  he  could ; 
and  if  a  bag  chanced  to  have  something  in 
it  and  he  could  not  get  it  out  quickly  enough, 
he  took  the  bag  as  well.  He  was  indeed  brazen. 

My  own  loss  was  trilling — merely  a  newspaper, 
which  I  would  have  given  him  had  he  asked  for 
it.  But  before  I  knew  anything  it  was  snatched 
from  my  hands  by  this  thief.  To  say  that  I 
was  astonished  would  be  to  state  the  case  mildly ; 
I  was  electrified.  But  when  I  looked  round  for 
help,  judge  of  my  horror  when  I  found  that  not 


289 

only  all  the  spectators  who  had  seen  the  out- 
rage, but  also  the  only  keepers  within  sight, 
were  laughing. 

And  I  know  the  pickpocket  was  laughing,  too, 
for  there  was  an  odd  light  in  his  wicked  little 
yellow  eye  as  he  opened  his  mouth,  lifted  his 
trunk  with  my  poor  journal  firmly  held  in  it, 
and  deposited  the  paper  in  his  pink  mouth. 
For  my  first  Zoo  pickpocket  was  the  biggest 
of  the  elephants,  who  was  both  old  enough  and 
large  enough  to  know  better. 

What  was  the  warning  notice  in  the  Zoo  ? 
Why  does  one  not  often  see  a  pickpocket  ? 
Who  was  the  pickpocket  in  the  Zoo  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Have  you  ever  been  to  the  Zoological  Gardens? 
If  so,  tell  about  your  visit.  Faunas  means  animals, 
here  applied  to  people.  Tell  the  story  of  'The  Boy 
who  cried  '  Wolf ! '  Give  another  word  for  bear. 
r'  Excited  children  "  means  happy  children  ;  capable,  able  ; 
custom,  habit;  "  devote  himself,"  give  himself  up  wholly; 
brazen,  bold  ;  trifling,  small.  Give  another  word  for  merely. 
''  To  state  the  case  mildly  "  means  to  say  very  little ;  elec- 
trified, suddenly  excited ;  judge,  think ;  outrage,  bad  be- 


290 

havior,  robbery ;  odd,  queer.    Give  another  word  for  firmly. 
Write  about  anything  you  saw  in  the  Zoo. 

2.  What  letters  are  not  heard  in  judge  ?  Give  the  sound 
of  gh  in  enough,  laughing.  Give  the  sound  of  ph  in  elephant. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
zoological  (zo  o  I5g'i  cal)  :  about  animals 
astonished  (as  tftn'islit)  :  greatly  surprised 
electrified  (e  iSk'tri  fid)  :  suddenly  excited 
spectators  (spSk'ta  terz)  :  those  who  look  on 
journal  (jur'nal)  :  a  daily  newspaper 
deposited  (de  poVit  Sd)  :  placed 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 '. 
laughing  asked  path  last 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


291 


THE  RHINOCEROS  CHANGES  HIS  NAME  TO  JIM 

Porcupines  happen  almost  everywhere.  There 
are  porcupines  in  Mexico,  Central  America,  South 
America,  the  United  States  of  America,  Canada, 
Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa.  Porcupines  of  all  parts 
rather  closely  resemble  one  another,  displaying  a 
family  liking  for  spiky  overcoats.  Only  the  South 
American  porcupine  has  a  long  prehensile  tail 
and  can  climb  like  a  monkey. 

It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  Busyville 
bees  and  our  Mr.  Grasshop,  as  they  journeyed 
through  the  jungle,  should  come  upon  a  porcupine 


292 

teaching  school.  Professor  Porcupine's  pupils 
were  mostly  rabbits,  and  what  he  taught  w^ent 
in  at  one  rabbit  ear  and  out  at  the  other.  This 
suited  Professor  Porcupine,  for  if  the  rabbits 
had  been  able  to  learn  anything  at  all,  they 
soon  would  have  learned  the  little  that  Professor 
Porcupine  himself  knew  and  would  have  gone 
away,  leaving  the  professor  without  pupils. 
Professor  Porcupine  didn't  know  much  and  the 
rabbits  couldn't  learn  anything,  so  it  was  a  very 
good  school. 

Now  the  rhinoceros  knew  just  enough  to  be 
a  rhinoceros,  and  this  had  always  been  plenty 
up  to  the  time  he  met  the  crocodile.  The  rhinoc- 
eros, one  evening  as  he  came  out  from  his  lair 
by  the  river's  edge,  had  met  the  crocodile  and 
had  fallen  into  conversation  with  him.  The 
crocodile  had  told  him  that  he  believed  in  a 
liberal  education.  '  Every  one  in  the  jungle," 
said  the  crocodile,  "  should  be  able  to  spell 
his  own  name." 

The  more  the  rhinoceros  thought  about  this, 
the  more  it  worried  him.  He  troubled  so  much 


293 

about  it  that  new  wrinkles  began  to  appear 
in  the  few  places  where  there  were  not  wrinkles 
already,  and  he  began  to  think  that  knowing 
enough  to  be  a  rhinoceros  wasn't  enough  for 
a  rhinoceros  to  know,  after  all.  When  the  black 
cockatoo  told  him  about  Professor  Porcupine's 
school,  he  felt  relieved  and  determined  to  go 
at  once  and  learn  to  spell  his  name. 

The  black  cockatoo  flew  about  among  the  other 
jungle  people  and  reported :  '  The  rhinoceros  is 
going  to  get  a  liberal  education.  He  is  going 
to  learn  to  spell  his  own  name.'7 

It  took  several  lessons  before  the  rhinoceros 
got  so  far  as  the  first  letter  of  his  name,  which 
is  "r."  After  a  while  he  had  mastered  !'r"  so 
that  he  could  say  it  right  off  without  hesitation, 
and  the  jungle  people  began  to  look  at  each 
other,  saying,  ' '  Yes,  the  rhinoceros  will  learn  to 
spell."  They  all  felt  pleased. 

But  after  this  the  rhinoceros  began  to  fall  off. 
He  never  could  remember  whether  r'o,"  "s," 
"i,"  or'"n"  came  after  the  "r."  The  jungle 
people  began  to  look  at  each  other,  shake  their 


294 

heads,  and  say,  '  No,  the  rhinoceros  will  not 
learn  to  spell."  And  they  all  felt  sorry. 

Professor  Porcupine  worked  hard.  He  dismissed 
the  rabbits,  giving  them  a  holiday,  and  devoted 
his  whole  time  to  the  rhinoceros.  His  quills  stood 
straight  up  nearly  all  the  time,  and  he  began  to 
have  WTinkles,  too.  But  the  rhinoceros  couldn't 
get  past  "r."  One  day,  wrhile  the  usual  perform- 
ance was  going  on  and  Professor  Porcupine's 
quills  were  standing  straighter  than  ever,  our 
Mr.  Grasshop  stepped  up  and  said :  '  Perhaps, 
Professor  Porcupine,  our  friend  would  be  able 
to  spell  his  name  if  he  had  a  name  that 
was  easier  to  spell.  If  he  cannot  learn  to 
spell  '  rhinoceros/  perhaps  he  might  learn  to 
spell  '  JHHVL' :  The  rhinoceros  had  been  listen- 
ing with  both  ears  cocked  up.  Almost  before 
the  words  were  out  of  Grasshop's  mouth  he 
shouted  "J-I-M." 

So  the  rhinoceros  received  a  liberal  education. 
He  knew  all  that  was  necessary  to  be  a  rhinoc- 
eros and  something  besides.  He  w^ent  about  the 
jungle,  proudly  spelling  "  J-I-M  "  at  everybody 


295 

who  would  listen.  When  he  met  the  crocodile, 
he  called  to  him:  "J-I-M."  And  the  crocodile 
disappeared  into  the  water  with  a  gurgle,  saying 
to  himself,  '  Well,  well,  I  never  thought  he  could 
do  it." 

What  kind  of  coat  does  the  porcupine  wear? 
What  kind  of  pupils  did  the  rabbits  make  ? 
What  did  the  rhinoceros  want  to  learn  ? 
How  did  he  succeed  at  school  ? 
How  did  he  make  spelling  easy  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  hap])en,  resemble.   Find  Mexico, 
Central  America,  South  America,  and  Canada  on  the  map. 
Tell  how  a  porcupine  looks.    Tell  what  you  have  read  about 
a  jungle.    Give  other  words  for  professor,  pupils,  conversa- 
tion.   "Liberal  education"  means   good  schooling.    Give 
other  words  for  reported ,  several,  dismissed. 

2.  What  letters  are  not  heard  in  rhinoceros,  straight, 
thought  ? 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
displaying  (dis  pla/ing)  :  showing 
prehensile  (pre  hBn'sil)  :  able  to  seize  by  wrapping  itself 

around  an  object 
rhinoceros  (ii  nbVer  os)  :  a  large,  powerful,  thick-skinned 

animal 
crocodile  (krftk'o  clil)  :  a  large,  thick-skinned  water  animal 


296 

lair  (lar)  :  the  bed  of  a  wild  beast 
cockatoo  (ktik'a  too)  :  a  kind  of  parrot 
relieved  (re  levd')  :  comforted,  helped 
hesitation  (h8z  I  ta/srmn)  :  brief  stopping 
devoted  (de  vot'gd)  :  gave  up 
performance  (per  foYmans)  :  act 

gurgle   (gur'g'l)  :   a  sound   as   of  water  running   from 
bottle 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
learned  whole  our 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


297 


THE  WILD  BEAST  TAMER1 
CLEVELAND  MOFFETT 

If  you  have  ever  been  to  a  circus,  you  have 
seen  wild  animals -- lions,  tigers,  or  elephants  - 
performing  tricks  in  a  cage  or  in  the  open  arena. 
Did  you  ever  think  how  long  it  took  the  trainer 
to  make  those  beasts  perform  even  the  simplest 
trick  or  how  much  courage,  patience,  and  love 
they  put  into  their  work? 

A  wild  beast  tamer  is  generally  pictured  as 
a  stern  person  who  stalks  around  in  high  boots 
and  who  has  a  remarkable  power  of  the  eye 
that  makes  lions  and  tigers  quake  at  his  look 
and  shrink  away.  He  is  said  to  rule  by  fear 

1  Adapted  from  Cleveland  Moifett's  **  Careers  of  Danger  and  Daring," 
by  permission  of  the  publishers,  The  Century  Company. 


298 

and  that  the  crack  of  his  Avhip  brings  memories 
of  red-hot  irons  and  frightful  blows. 

This  is  not  true.  It  is  no  more  fear  that 
makes  a  lion  walk  on  a  ball  than  it  is  fear 
that  makes  a  horse  pull  a  wagon.  It  is  habit. 
The  lion  is  willing  to  walk  on  the  ball,  not 
because  of  cruel  treatment  but  because  of  his 
trainer's  patience  and  kindness. 

It  is  important  that  a  tamer  of  wild  beasts 
should  have  a  quick  eye  and  keen  hearing,  that 
he  may  be  warned  of  a  sudden  spring  or  rush 
at  him  from  the  rear.  It  is  important  that  he 
have  great  nerve.  But  that  which  makes  him 
a  really  great  tamer  is  a  fondness  for  his 
animals. 

Taming  takes  a  long  time.  Day  after  day, 
week  after  week,  a  trainer  will  stand  outside  a 
lion's  cage,  looking  at  him,  talking  to  him,  mak- 
ing the  beast  know  him.  Each  time  he  goes  away 
he  is  careful  to  toss  in  a  piece  of  meat  as  a 
pleasant  memento  of  his  visit. 

Later  he  ventures  inside  the  bars,  carrying 
some  simple  weapon  —  a  whip,  a  rod,  or  a 


299 

simple  broom,  very  annoying  because  of  its  sharp 
bristles.  One  tamer  used  a  kitchen  chair  against 
unbroken  lions.  If  the  creature  came  at  him, 
there  were  the  four  legs  in  his  face. 

Days  will  pass  before  the  lion  will  permit 
his  tamer  to  do  more  than  merely  stay  inside 
his  cage  at  a  distance.  The  tamer  w^aits  hour  after 
hour,  week  after  week,  until  a  time  comes  when  the 
lion  will  let  him  move  nearer,  permit  the  touch 
of  his  hand,  or  come  forward  for  a  piece  of  meat. 

Last  of  all  begins  the  mastery  of  tricks.  The 
lion  must  spring  to  a  pedestal -- and  be  fed; 
he  must  jump  from  one  pedestal  to  another - 
and  be  fed.  A  bit  of  meat  is  the  best  help, 
and  the  tamer  wins,  if  he  wins  at  all,  by 
patience  and  kindness. 

One  of  the  most  famous  of  tamers  was  Madame 
Bianca  with  the  Bostock  Wild  Animal  Slum.  She 
loved  her  lions  and  tigers  exactly  as  though  they 
had  been  children,  —  tried  to  excuse  their  failings 
and  explain  away  their  misdeeds. 

One  day  a  lioness  called  Spitfire  was  sullen 
and  refused  to  do  her  tricks. 


300 

'  It  is  a  perfectly  easy  thing,  that  jump  over 
the  pedestal.  If  Spitfire  does  not  do  it  now, 
the  others  will  rebel  and  not  one  will  obey 
me,'7  said  Madame  Bianca  to  an  attendant. 
'  Ask  Mr.  Bostock  to  come  here,  please.  Spitfire 
must  do  as  she  is  told." 

Mr.  Bostock  came  and  at  once  entered  the 
cage.  He  was  a  big,  strong  man.  He  impressed 
animals  and  tamers  alike.  He  loved  his  animals 
and  did  not  fear  them,  but  best  of  all  he  knew 
lions  and  tigers  as  only  a  man  can  know  them  who 
has  spent  all  his  life  with  them.  He  would  enter 
any  cage  at  any  time  if  a  real  need  called,  but 
he  was  a  stranger  to  the  four  lions  and  the  tiger 
ranged  about  on  their  pedestals  with  big  Brutus 
in  the  middle  and  snarling  Spitfire  at  one  end. 

'Well,"  said  Mr.  Bostock  afterward,  'I  saw 
that  Madame  Bianca  had  been  standing  too  far 
away  to  handle  Spitfire,  so  I  stepped  three  steps 
closer  and  lifted  one  of  my  whips.  There  were 
just  two  things  Spitfire  could  do :  she  could 
spring  at  me  and  have  trouble,  or  she  could 
spring  over  the  pedestal  and  have  no  trouble. 


302 

She  growled  a  little,  looked  at  me,  and  jumped 
over  that  pedestal  like  a  lady. 

"  The  rest  was  easy.  I  put  her  through  some 
other  tricks,  circled  her  around  the  cage  a  couple 
of  times,  and  brought  her  back  to  her  corner. 
Then  as  she  crouched  there  and  snarled  at  me, 
I  played  a  tattoo  with  my  whip  handle  on  the 
floor.  But  that  was  one  thing  too  much,  for  in 
doing  so  I  turned  quite  aw^ay  from  the  rest  of 
the  group  and  made  Brutus  think  that  I  meant 
to  hurt  his  mate.  He  said  to  himself,  '  Hello, 
here  's  a  stranger  in  our  cage  taking  a  whip  to 
Spitfire.  I'll  just  settle  him/  Before  I  could 
move  he  sprang  twenty  feet  off  his  pedestal, 
set  his  fangs  in  my  thigh,  and  dragged  me  over 
to  Madame  Bianca  as  if  to  prove  his  loyalty 
and  devotion. 

'  Then  the  Frenchwoman  did  a  clever  thing. 
She  clasped  her  arms  around  his  big  neck,  drew 
his  head  up,  and  fired  her  revolver  close  to  his 
ear.  Of  course,  she  fired  only  a  blank  cartridge, 
but  it  brought  Brutus  to  obedience,  for  that  was 
the  regular  signal  for  the  lions  to  take  their 


303 

places  on  the  pedestals.  The  habit  of  his  work 
was  so  strong  in  the  old  fellow  that  he  dropped 
me  and  jumped  back  to  his  place. 

'  There  wasn't  anything  more  to  it,  except 
that  I  lay  five  weeks  in  bed  with  my  wounds. 
But  this  will  show  you  how  Madame  Bianca 
loved  those  lions.  She  wouldn't  let  me  lift  a 
hand  to  punish  Brutus.  She  pleaded  with  me 
so  hard  that  I  hadn't  the  heart  to  go  against 
her.  She  said  that  it  was  partly  my  own  fault 
for  turning  my  back  and  that  Brutus  was  a 
good  lion  and  had  only  tried  to  defend  his  mate. 
Well,  I  had  to  let  him  off,  though  I  knew  1 
could  never  enter  Brutus's  cage  again  in  safety. 
If  you  once  lose  the  upper  hand,  you  can  never 
get  it  back  again." 

What  really  makes  a  man  a  great  tamer  of  animals  ? 

Tell  how  he  works  in  taming  an  animal. 

Tell  about  the  teaching  of  tricks. 

Give  the  name  of  one  of  the  most  famous  animal  trainers. 

What  trouble  did  she  have  ? 

Who  came  to  help  her  and  how  did  he  help  ? 

How  did  the  Frenchwoman  help  the  tamer? 

What  did  she  do  that  showed  her  love  for  the  lions  ? 


304 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Have  you  ever  been  to  a  circus  ?  Tell  what  you  saw. 
Give  other  words  for  performing.,  courage.    Describe  an 
arena.    "Generally  pictured"   means  most  often  shown. 
Give  other  words  for  stalks,  quake.    Remarkable  means 
great;  "  shrink  away,"  draw  away;  memories,  thoughts  of 
what   has    happened ;     habit,    custom    or    practice.    Give 
another  word  for  keen.    "  Mastery  of  tricks  "  means  power 
to  do  tricks  ;  famous,  best  known  ;  impressed,  made  to  feel 
his    strength ;    ranged,  placed ;    tattoo,    a   tapping   noise. 
What  are  the  lion's  fangs  ?  "  Loyalty  and  devotion  "  means 
faithfulness  and  love.    Give  other  words  for  clever,  defend. 
What  is  a  blank  cartridge  ? 

2.  Find  all  the  words  in  the  story  where  er  =  er. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
rebel  (re  bel')  :  refuse  to  obey 
courage  (kuYaj)  :  bravery 
important  (im  por'tant)  :  necessary 
memento  (me  men'to)  :  a  reminder,  a  souvenir 
ventures  (ven'turz)  :  dares  to  go 
pedestal  (ped'es  tal)  :  a  column  on  which  to  stand 
sullen  (stil'en)  :  cross,  stubborn 
attendant  (a  ten'dant)  :  keeper,  assistant 
obedience  (o  be'di  ens)  :  the  doing  what  one  is  told 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
because  against  careful 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


305 

THE  BOY  AND  THE  BROOK 

AN  OLD  ARMENIAN  SONG 
HENRY  W.  LONGFELLOW 

Brook,  from  what  mountain  dost  thou  come? 

0  my  brooklet  cool  and  sweet ! 
I  come  from  yon  mountain  high  and  cold, 
Where  lieth  the  new  snow  on  the  old 

And  melts  in  the  summer  heat. 

Brook,  to  what  river  dost  thou  go? 

0  my  brooklet  cool  and  sweet! 
I  go  to  the  river  there  below 
Where  in  bunches  the  violets  grow, 

And  sun  and  shadow  meet. 

Where  is  the  source,  or  beginning,  of  the  brook  ? 
Where  is  the  mouth,  or  end,  of  the  brook  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

What  is  your  picture  of  a  mountain?  of  a  valley? 
What  is  it  that  makes  the  brooklet?  What  is  meant 
by  sun  and  shadow  meeting? 


306 


MAIDS  OF  FANCY1 
W.  H.  HUDSON 

:*  Now  I  will  tell  you  a  story  about  the  white 
mist  and  a  little  girl  named  Alma. 

'  Little  Alma  lived  close  to  the  river  Yi,  but 
far,  far  from  here,  beyond  the  trees  and  beyond 
the  blue  hills,  for  the  Yi  is  a  very  long  river. 
She  lived  with  her  grandmother  and  with  six 
uncles,  all  big,  tall  men  with  long  beards.  They 
always  talked  about  wars,  and  cattle,  and  horse- 
racing,  and  a  great  many  other  things  that  Alma 
could  not  understand.  There  was  no  one  for 
Alma  to  talk  to  or  to  play  with.  And  when  she 
went  out  of  the  house,  she  heard  the  cocks  crow- 
ing, the  dogs  barking,  the  birds  singing,  the 

1  By  permission,  from  "  The  Purple  Land,"  by  W.  H.  Hudson.  Copyright 
by  E.  P.  Button  &  Company. 


307 

sheep  bleating,  and  the  trees  rustling  their  leaves 
over  her  head,  and  she  could  not  understand  one 
word  of  all  they  said.  At  last,  having  no  one  to 
play  with  or  talk  to,  she  sat  down  and  began  to 
cry.  Now,  it  happened  that  near  the  spot  where 
she  sat  there  was  an  old  black  woman  wearing 
a  red  shawl.  She  was  gathering  sticks  for  the 
fire,  and  asked  Alma  why  she  cried. 

'  Because  I  have  no  one  to  talk  to  and  play 
with/  said  Alma,  Then  the  old  black  woman 
drew  a  long  brass  pin  out  of  her  shawl  and 
pricked  Alma's  tongue  with  it. 

'Now/  said  the  old  woman,  '  you  can  go 
and  play  and  talk  with  the  dogs,  cats,  birds, 
and  trees,  for  you  will  understand  all  they 
say,  and  they  will  understand  all  you  say.7 

"  Alma  was  very  glad,  and  ran  home  as  fast 
as  she  could  to  talk  to  the  cat. 

'  Come,  cat,  let  us  talk  and  play  together/ 
she  said. 

'Oh,  no/  said  the  cat.  'I  am  very  busy 
watching  a  little  bird,  so  you  must  go  away  and 
play  with  little  Niebla  down  by  the  river.' 


308 

'  Then  the  cat  ran  away  among  the  weeds  and 
left  her.  The  dogs  also  refused  to  play  when  she 
went  to  them,  for  they  had  to  watch  the  house 
and  bark  at  strangers.  They  also  told  her  to  go 
and  play  with  little  Mebla  down  by  the  river. 
Then  Alma  ran  out  and  caught  a  little  duckling, 
a  soft  little  thing  that  looked  like  a  ball  of  yellow 
cotton,  and  said,  'Now,  little  duck,  let  us  talk 
and  play.7 

'  But  the  duckling  only  struggled  to  get  away 
and  screamed,  '  Oh,  mamma,  mamma,  come  and 
take  me  away  from  Alma ! ' 

"  Then  the  old  duck  came  rushing  up  and 
said :  '  Alma,  let  my  child  alone ;  and  if  you 
want  to  play,  go  and  play  with  Niebla  down  by 
the  river.  A  nice  thing  to  catch  my  duckie  in 
your  hands  -  -  what  next,  I  wonder ! ' 

"  So  Alma  let  the  duckling  go,  and  at  last  she 
said,  '  Yes,  I  will  go  and  play  with  Niebla  down 
by  the  river/ 

"  She  waited  till  she  saw  the  white  mist,  and 
then  ran  all  the  way  to  the  Yi.  She  stood  still 
on  the  green  bank  close  by  the  water  with  the 


310 

white  mist  all  round  her.  By  and  by  she  saw 
a  beautiful  little  child  come  Hying  toward  her 
in  the  white  mist.  The  child  came  and  stood  on 
the  green  bank  and  looked  at  Alnia.  Very,  very 
pretty  she  was;  and  she  wore  a  white  dress - 
whiter  than  milk,  whiter  than  foam,  and  all 
embroidered  with  purple  flowers.  She  had  also 
white  silk  stockings  and  scarlet  shoes.  Her  hair 
was  long  and  fluffy,  and  shone  like  gold,  and 
round  her  neck  she  had  a  string  of  big  gold 
beads.  Then  Alma  said,  '  0  beautiful  little  girl, 
what  is  your  name  ? '  to  which  the  little  girl 
answered,  'Niebla.7 

'  Will  you  talk  to  me   and  play  with  me  ? ' 
said  Alma. 

'  Oh,  no/  said  Niebla,  '  how  can  I  play  with  a 
little  girl  dressed  as  you  are  and  with  bare  feet  ? ' 
'  For  you  know  poor  Alma  wore  a  little  old 
frock  that  came  down  to  her  knees,  and  she  had 
no  shoes  and  stockings  on.  Then  little  Niebla 
rose  up  and  floated  away,  away  from  the  bank 
and  down  the  river.  At  last,  when  she  was  quite 
out  of  sight  in  the  white  mist,  Alma  began  to  cry. 


311 

When  it  got  hot  she  went  and  sat  down,  still 
crying,  under  the  willow  trees  growing  near  the 
river.  By  and  by  the  leaves  rustled  in  the  wind 
and  the  trees  began  talking  to  one  another,  and 
Alma  understood  everything  they  said. 

'  Is  it  going  to  rain,  do  you  think  ? '  said 
one  tree. 

'  Yes,  I  think  it  will  -  -  some  day/  said 
the  other. 

*  There  are  no  clouds/  said  the  first  tree. 

*  No,  there  are  no  clouds  today,  but  there  were 
some  the  day  before  yesterday/  said  the  other. 

'  Have  you  any  nests  in  your  branches  ?  '  said 
the  first  tree. 

'  Yes,  one/  said  the  other.  '  It  was  made  by  a 
little  yellow  bird,  and  there  are  five  eggs  in  it.' 

'  Then  the  first  tree  said  :  '  There  is  little  Alma 
sitting  in  our  shade.  Do  you  know  why  she  is 
crying,  neighbor  ?  ' 

'  The  other  tree  answered :  '  Yes,  it  is  because 
she  has  no  one  to  play  with.  Little  Niebla  by 
the  river  refused  to  play  with  her  because  she  is 
not  beautifully  dressed/ 


312 


'  Then  the  first  tree  said,  '  Ah,  she  ought  to  go 
and  ask  the  fox  for  some  pretty  clothes  to  wear. 
The  fox  always  keeps  a  great  store  of  pretty 
things  in  her  hole/ 

"  Alma  had  listened  to  every  word.  She 
remembered  that  a  fox  lived  on  the  hillside  not 
far  off.  She  had  often  seen  it  sitting  in  the  sun- 
shine with  its  little  ones  playing  round  it  and 
pulling  their  mother's  tail  in  fun.  So  Alma  got 
up  and  ran  till  she  found  the  hole,  and  putting 


313 

her  head  down  it  she  cried  out,  '  Fox !  Fox ! ' 
But  the  fox  seemed  cross  and  only  answered 
without-  coming  out,  '  Go  away,  Alma,  and  talk  to 
little  Mebla.  I  am  busy  getting  dinner  for  my 
children  and  have  no  time  to  talk  to  you  now/ 
"Then  Alma  cried:  <0  Fox,  Niebla  will  not 
play  with  me  because  1  have  no  pretty  things  to 
wear.  0  Fox,  will  you  give  me  a  nice  dress 
and  shoes  and  stockings  and  a  string  of  beads  ? 7 

'After  a  little  while  the  fox  came  out  of  its 
hole  with  a  big  bundle  done  up  in  a  red  cotton 
handkerchief.  She  said :  *  Here  are  the  things, 
Alma,  and  I  hope  they  will  fit  you.  But  you 
know  you  really  ought  not  to  come  at  this  time 
of  day,  for  I  am  very  busy  just  now  cooking  the 
dinner  —  an  armadillo  roasted  and  a  couple  of 
partridges  stewed  with  rice,  and  a  little  omelet 
of  turkeys7  eggs.  I  mean  plovers7  eggs,  of  course ; 
I  never  touch  turkeys'  eggs.7 

'  Alma  said  she  was  very  sorry  to  give  so 
much  trouble. 

'Oh,    never   mind/    said    the   fox.    'How   is 
your  grandmother  ? ' 


314 

'She  is  very  well,  thank  you/  said  Alma, 
'but  she  has  a  bad  headache/ 

'I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  it/  said  the  fox. 
'Tell  her  to  stick  two  fresh  dock  leaves  on  her 
temples,  then  drink  a  little  weak  tea  made  of 
knot-grass,  and  on  no  account  to  go  out  in  the 
hot  sun.  I  should  like  to  go  and  see  her,  only 
I  do  not  like  the  dogs  that  are  always  about  the 
house.  And  now  run  home,  Alma,  and  try  on 
the  things,  and  when  you  are  passing  this  way 
you  may  bring  me  back  the  handkerchief,  as 
I  always  tie  my  face  up  in  it  when  I  have  the 
toothache/ 

"  Alma  thanked  the  fox  very  much  and  ran 
home  as  fast  as  she  could.  When  the  bundle  was 
opened  she  found  in  it  a  beautiful  white  dress 
embroidered  with  purple  flowers,  a  pair  of  scarlet 
shoes,  silk  stockings,  and  a  string  of  great  golden 
beads.  They  all  fitted  her  very  well ;  and  next 
day,  when  the  white  mist  was  on  the  Yi,  she 
dressed  herself  in  her  beautiful  clothes  and  went 
down  to  the  river.  By  and  by  little  Niebla  came 
flying  along,  and  when  she  saw  Alma  she  kissed 


315 

her  and  took  her  by  the  hand.  All  the  morn- 
ing they  played  and  talked  together,  gathering 
flowers  and  running  races  over  the  green  fields. 
At  last  Mebla  bade  her  good-by  and  flew  away, 
for  all  the  white  mist  was  floating  off  down  the 
river.  But  every  day  after  that  Alma  found  her 
little  companion  by  the  Yi,  and  was  very  happy, 
for  now  she  had  some  one  to  talk  to  and  to 
play  with.77 

Why  was  little  Alma  unhappy  ? 
How  did  the  old  woman  help  her? 
What  disappointment  did  Alma  have  in  talking  with 
the  animals  ?    What  did  the  fox  do  for  her  ? 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  The  scene  of  this  story  is  in  Uruguay,  a  country  of 
South  America.    What  ideas  do  you  get  of  the  country 
from  the  story?   What  did  the  men  talk  about?   These 
things  were  their  occupations,  or  work.    What  animals 
are  mentioned  in  the  story  ?  What  work  did  they  have  to 
do  ?    "  On  no  account "  means  for  no  reason. 

2,  Give  the  sound  of  o  in  tongue.    Find  other  words  that 
have  the  sound  of  u.    Give  the  sound  of  eau  in  beautiful. 
Find  other  words  that  have  the  sound  of  u. 


316 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

Yi  (ye)  :  a  river  in  South  America 

partridges  (par'trij  8z)  :  birds  much  hunted  for  food 

plovers  (pltiv'erz)  :  wild  birds  living  on  grassy  plains  and 
on  beaches 

Niebla  (ne  8b'la)  :  a  cloud  child 

armadillo  (ar  md  dil'o) :  a  small  animal  covered  with  a 
bony,  shell-like  armor 

embroidered  (Sm  broid'  erd)  :  made  beautiful  with  needle- 
work flowers 

handkerchief  (hang'ker  chif)  :  a  square  piece  of  cloth  here 
used  for  carrying  bundles 

omelet  (5m'e  l£t)  :  eggs  beaten  up  and  cooked  in  a  frying 
pan 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
yesterday  dogs 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


317 


THE  CLOUD 
PERCY  BYSSHE  SHELLEY 

I  bring  fresh  showers  for  the  thirsting  flowers, 

From  the  seas  and  the  streams; 
I  bear  light  shade  for  the  leaves  when  laid 

In  their  noon-day  dreams. 
From  my  wings  are  shaken  the  dews  that  waken 

The  sweet  buds  every  one, 
When  rocked  to  rest  on  their  mother's  breast, 

As  she  dances  about  the  sun. 

Why  are  the  flowers  said  to  be  thirsting  ? 

What  does  the  cloud  bring  besides  rain  ? 

Why  is  the  earth  called  the  mother  of  the  flowers  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Recite  some  other  poems  that  you  have  learned  about 
clouds  and  rainbows. 

How  beautiful  is  the  rain! 
After  the  dust  and  heat, 
In  the  broad  and  fiery  street, 

In  the  narrow  lane, 

How  beautiful  is  the  rain. 

HENRY  W.  LONGFELLOW 


UMBRELLAS 
MELVILLE  C HATER 

Umbrellas,  umbrellas,  way  down  in  the  street, 
Bobbing  along  through  the  rain  on  feet: 
That 's  how  they  look  as  they  pass  below  - 
Umbrellas'  feet  are  the  most  that  show. 

Umbrellas,  umbrellas,  wet  pavements  and  me ! 
I'm  watching  for  mother  to  come  home  to  tea, 


319 

But  how  shall  I  know  her,  to  wave  through  the 

pane, 
When  every  umbrella 's  the  same  in  the  rain  ? 

Policemen,  conductors,  and  pirates,  and  kings 
Are  easily  told  by  their  trousers  and  things. 
On  days  like  today  when  the  weather  's  to  blame, 
Beneath  their  umbrellas  they'd  all  look  the  same. 

Why  do  the  passing  feet  seem  to  belong  to  the 
umbrellas  ? 

Why  was  it  hard  for  the  child  to  know  its  mother  ? 

Where  must  the  child  have  been  if  he  could  see  only 
feet  under  the  umbrellas  ? 

How  does  the  rain  make  all  kinds  of  people  look  alike  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 
Recite  some  other  poems  you  have  learned  about  rain. 


320 


THE  THREE  GOLDEN  APPLES 

NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE 

I  — THE  JOURNEY 

Many,  many  long  years  ago  a  wonderful 
tree  grew  in  the  garden  of  the  Hesperides.  On 
this  tree  were  apples  of  solid  gold.  Brave 
young  men  used  to  set  out  to  gather  the  precious 
fruit,  but  not  one  of  them  ever  returned,  for 
beneath  the  tree  was  a  terrible  dragon.  The 
dragon  had  a  hundred  heads,  fifty  of  which 
would  watch  while  the  other  fifty  slept.  In 
this  manner  the  apples  were  guarded  day  and 
night. 

Once  the  adventure  was  undertaken  by  a  hero 
named  Hercules.  He  carried  a  huge  club  in  his 
hand  and  a  bow  and  arrow  were  slung  across 
his  shoulders.  About  him  was  wrapped  the  skin 
of  a  fierce  lion  which  he  himself  had  killed.  As 
he  went  on  he  asked  every  one  he  met  if  he 
was  on  the  right  road.  One  day  he  came  to 
the  bank  of  a  river  where  some  girls  were 
making  wreaths  of  flowers. 


321 

"  Can  you  tell  me,  lovely  maidens/7  he  asked, 
!'  whether  this  is  the  right  way  to  the  garden 
of  the  Hesperides?" 

"The  garden  of  the  Hesperides!  "  the  girls  cried. 
'  We  thought  men  were  weary  of  seeking  it." 

"A  certain  king  has  ordered  me  to  get  three 
of  the  apples,"  said  Hercules,  "and  I  must 
obey  him." 

"And  do  you  know  the  dangers  you  must 
meet?"  one  of  the  girls  asked  him. 

:tl  know  them  well,"  said  Hercules,  "but  I  do 
not  fear  them." 

The  maidens  looked  at  the  heavy  club  and  at 
the  shaggy  lion's  skin  and  at  the  strong  muscles 
of  the  young  stranger,  and  they  thought,  '  If 
any  one  can  get  the  golden  apples  this  young 
man  will."  But  they  shuddered  to  think  of  the 
dragon's  hundred  heads. 

"Go  back,"  they  said.  'We  cannot  bear  to 
have  the  dragon  eat  you  up." 

Hercules  smiled  as  he  sat  down  on  the  grass 
beside  them  and  began  to  tell  them  of  some  of  his 
adventures.  These  were  certainly  wonderful  tales, 


322 

and  long  before  he  had  finished,  the  maidens 
had  guessed  who  he  was. 

"We  will  help  you  all  we  can/'  they  said  to 
him.  'You  must  first  go  to  the  seashore  and 
ask  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea  where  you  are  to 
look  for  the  golden  apples.  When  you  find  the 
Old  Man  you  must  keep  fast  hold  of  him,  no 
matter  what  surprising  things  may  happen.'7 

Hercules  thanked  them  warmly  and  went  on 
his  way.  As  he  hastened  onward  he  would  strike 
the  trees  with  his  great  club  and  they  would 
come  crashing  to  the  ground.  At  length  he  could 
hear  the  sea  roaring  afar  off,  and  presently  he 
came  to  a  beach.  There,  between  a  high  cliff 
and  the  water,  was  a  pleasant  spot  where  an 
old  man  lay  asleep.  He  was  a  queer-looking 
creature,  for  on  his  legs  and  arms  were  scales 
such  as  fishes  have,  and  he  was  web-footed  like 
a  duck.  His  long  beard  looked  like  a  tuft  of 
seaweed. 

Thanking  his  lucky  stars  that  he  had  found 
the  old  man  asleep,  Hercules  stole  forward  and 
seized  him  by  the  arm  and  leg. 


323 

"Tell  me,"  cried  he,  before  the  Old  Man  was 
well  awake,  ;'  which  is  the  way  to  the  garden 
of  the  Hesperides?  " 

The  Old  Man  of  the  Sea  awoke  in  a  fright. 
But  his  surprise  could  not  have  been  greater 
than  was  that  of  Hercules  the  next  moment. 
For,  all  of  a  sudden,  the  Old  Man  seemed  to 
disappear  out  of  his  grasp,  and  the  hero  found 
himself  holding  a  stag  by  a  fore  and  a  hind  leg! 
But  still  he  kept  fast  hold. 

Then  the  stag  disappeared,  and  in  its  place 
there  was  a  sea-bird,  fluttering  and  screaming, 
while  Hercules  clutched  it  by  the  wing  and  claw ! 
But  the  bird  could  not  get  away. 

Next  there  was  an  ugly  three-headed  dog, 
which  growled  and  barked  at  Hercules,  and 
snapped  fiercely  at  the  hands  which  held  him. 
But  Hercules  would  not  let  him  go. 

In  another  minute,  instead  of  the  three-headed 
dog,  what  should  appear  but  a  six-legged  man- 
monster,  kicking  at  Hercules  with  five  of  his  legs 
in  order  to  get  the  other  free!  But  Hercules 
held  on. 


324 

By  and  by  there  was  a  huge  snake,  like  one 
which  Hercules  had  strangled  in  his  babyhood, 
only  a  hundred  times  as  big.  It  twisted  and 
twined  about  the  hero's  neck  and  body,  and 
threw  its  tail  high  in  the  air,  and  opened  its 
deadly  jaws  as  if  to  swallow  him  whole !  But 
Hercules  squeezed  the  great  snake  so  tightly  that 
it  soon  began  to  hiss  with  pain. 

As  the  hero  held  on  so  hard,  and  squeezed 
the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea  so  much  tighter  at 
every  change  of  shape,  the  latter  soon  thought  it 
best  to  come  back  to  his  own  form.  So  there  he 
was  again,  a  fishy,  scaly,  web-footed  sort  of  per- 
son with  something  like  a  tuft  of  seaweed  on 
his  chin. 

'  Pray,  what  do  you  want  with  me  ? "  cried 
he.  "Why  do  you  squeeze  me  so  hard?  Let 
me  go  this  moment,  or  I  shall  begin  to  think 
you  are  very  rude !  " 

:'  My  name  is  Hercules!''  roared  the  mighty 
stranger.  "And  you  will  never  get  out  of  my 
clutches  until  you  tell  me  the  nearest  way  to 
the  garden  of  the  Hesperides !  " 


325 

When  the  old  fellow  heard  who  it  was  that 
had  caught  him,  he  knew  that  he  must  tell 
him  everything  Hercules  wanted  to  know.  Of 
course  he  had  often  heard  of  Hercules  and  his 
wonderful  deeds.  He  tried  no  longer  to  escape, 
but  told  the  hero  how  to  find  the  garden  of 
the  Hesperides. 

'  You  must  go  on/7  said  the  Old  Man  of  the 
Sea,  "  till  you  come  in  sight  of  a  very  tall  giant 
who  holds  the  sky  on  his  shoulders.  And  the  giant, 
if  he  happens  to  be  in  the  humor,  will  tell  you 
exactly  where  the  garden  of  the  Hesperides  lies." 

Thanking  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea,  and  begging 
his  pardon  for  having  squeezed  him  so  roughly, 
the  hero  went  on  his  way  again. 

II  — ATLAS 

Hercules  arrived  at  last,  after  many  adventures, 
on  the  shore  of  the  great  foaming  ocean.  And 
here  it  seemed  as  if  his  journey  must  end.  But 
suddenly  he  saw  something  a  long  way  off  which 
he  had  not  seen  the  moment  before.  It  gleamed 
very  brightly,  almost  like  the  round,  golden  sun. 


326 

It  became  larger  and  brighter  as  it  came  near. 
At  length  Hercules  could  see  that  it  was  a  huge 
cup  or  bowl,  made  of  either  gold  or  brass. 

'  I  have  seen  many  giants  in  my  time/'  thought 
Hercules,  :'but  never  one  that  would  need  to 
drink  his  wine  out  of  a  cup  like  this!  r' 

The  waves  tumbled  the  bowl  onward  till  it 
touched  the  shore  a  short  distance  from  where 
Hercules  was  standing.  It  was  clear  that  this 
marvelous  cup  had  been  sent  to  carry  him  across 
the  sea. 

At  once  he  climbed  over  the  brim  and  settled 
down  on  his  lion's  skin  for  a  little  rest. 

His  nap  had  lasted  a  good  while,  when  the  cup 
hit  against  a  rock.  The  noise  awoke  Hercules, 
who  started  up  and  gazed  around,  wondering 
where  he  was.  He  soon  found  that  the  bowl 
had  floated  across  the  sea  and  was  coming  near 
the  shore  of  an  island. 

There  he  saw  a  giant  as  tall  as  a  mountain. 
Clouds  rested  about  his  waist  like  a  girdle. 
Most  wonderful  of  all,  he  held  up  his  hands 
to  support  the  sky,  which,  so  far  as  Hercules 


328 

could  see  through  the  clouds,  was  resting  on 
the  giant's  head. 

Meanwhile  the  bright  cup  floated  onward  until 
it  touched  the  shore.  Just  then  a  breeze  blew 
away  the  clouds  from  the  giant's  face,  and  Her- 
cules saw  it,  with  all  its  great  features :  eyes 
each  of  them  as  big  as  a  lake,  the  nose  a  mile 
long,  and  the  mouth  of  the  same  width. 

Poor  fellow !  He  seemed  to  have  stood  there 
a  long  while.  An  old  forest  had  been  growing 
and  decaying  at  his  feet,  and  huge  oak  trees 
had  forced  themselves  between  his  toes.  The 
giant  looked  down  and,  seeing  Hercules,  roared 
in  a  voice  that  sounded  like  thunder,  "Who  are 
you,  down  at  my  feet  there?  And  whence  do 
you  come  in  that  little  cup?' 

'  I  am  Hercules !  "  thundered  back  the  hero,  in 
a  voice  nearly  as  loud  as  the  giant's  own.  "  And 
I  am  seeking  the  garden  of  the  Hesperides ! '; 

'  Ho !  ho !  ho !  "  roared  the  giant,  in  a  fit  of 
laughter.  '  That  is  a  wise  adventure.  I  am 
Atlas,  the  mightiest  giant  in  the  world !  I  hold 
the  sky  upon  my  head !  " 


329 

"  So  I  see/'  answered  Hercules.  "But  can 
you  show  me  the  way  to  the  Garden  of  the 
Hesperides?  " 

'What  do  you  want  there?"  asked  the 
giant. 

'I  want  three  of  the  golden  apples,"  shouted 
Hercules,  "for  my  cousin,  the  king." 

'There  is  nobody  but  myself,"  quoth  the 
giant,  :'  that  can  go  to  the  Garden  of  the  Hes- 
perides and  gather  the  golden  apples.  If  it 
were  not  for  this  little  task  of  holding  up  the 
sky,  I  would  make  half  a  dozen  steps  across 
the  sea  and  get  them  for  you." 

'You  are  very  kind,"  replied  Hercules.  "Can 
you  not  rest  the  sky  upon  a  mountain?" 

'None  of  them  is  high  enough,"  said  Atlas, 
shaking  his  head.  '  But  if  you  were  to  take 
your  stand  on  the  top  of  that  nearest  one,  your 
head  would  be  nearly  on  a  level  with  mine. 
You  seem  to  be  a  fellow  of  some  strength.  If 
you  will  take  my  burden  on  your  shoulders, 
I  will  do  your  errand  for  you." 

"Is  the  sky  very  heavy?"   Hercules  asked. 


M7 


330 

'Why,  no,  not  at  first,"  answered  the  giant. 
"  But  it  gets  to  be  a  little  tiresome  after  a 
thousand  years !  r> 

"  And  how  long  a  time,"  asked  the  hero, 
"will  it  take  you  to  get  the  golden  apples?" 

"  Oh,  that  will  be  done  in  a  few  moments," 
said  Atlas.  '  I  shall  take  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
at  a  stride,  and  be  at  the  garden  and  back  again 
before  your  shoulders  begin  to  ache." 

'Well,  then,"  answered  Hercules,  "I  will  climb 
the  mountain  behind  you  there,  and  take  your 
burden." 

Without  more  words  the  sky  was  shifted  from 
the  shoulders  of  Atlas  and  placed  upon  those  of 
Hercules.  When  this  was  safely  done  the  giant 
laughed-  'Ho!  ho!  ho!"  stretched  himself,  and 
stepped  into  the  sea.  At  the  first  stride  he  cov- 
ered ten  miles  and  the  water  came  above  his 
ankles ;  at  the  second  stride  the  waves  washed 
about  his  knees ;  and  at  the  third  he  sank  nearly 
to  his  waist.  This  was  the  greatest  depth  of 
the  sea. 

At  last  the  huge  shape  faded  from  view.    Now 


331 

Hercules  began  to  wonder  what  lie  should 
do  in  case  Atlas  should  be  drowned  in  the  sea; 
or  if  he  should  be  stung  to  death  by  the  dragon 
with  the  hundred  heads,  which  guarded  the 
golden  apples  of  the  Hesperides.  How  could 
he  ever  get  rid  of  the  sky?  It  was  already 
beginning  to  feel  heavy  on  his  head  and 
shoulders. 

To  his  great  joy,  a  little  while  later  he  beheld 
the  huge  giant,  like  a  cloud  on  the  far-off  edge  of 
the  sea.  As  Atlas  came  nearer  he  held  up  his 
hand,  in  which  Hercules  could  see  three  wonderful 
golden  apples,  as  big  as  pumpkins,  all  hanging 
from  one  branch. 

'  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again/'  shouted  Her- 
cules, when  the  giant  was  within  hearing.  "  So 
you  have  the  golden  apples  ?" 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  answered  Atlas;  "and 
very  fair  apples  they  are.  I  took  the  finest  that 
grew  on  the  tree,  I  can  tell  you." 

'I  heartily  thank  you  for  your  trouble,"  said 
Hercules,  "  and  now,  as  I  have  a  long  way  to  go, 
and  the  king,  my  cousin,  is  in  a  hurry  for  the 


332 

fruit,  will  you  be  kind  enough  to  take  the  sky 
off  my  shoulders  again?" 

"  Can  I  not  carry  the  golden  apples  to  the  king 
more  quickly  than  you?"  asked  the  giant.  "As 
his  majesty  is  in  such  a  hurry  to  get  them,  I 
promise  you  to  take  my  longest  strides.  Besides, 
I  have  no  wish  to  burden  myself  with  the  sky 
just  now." 

'What!'  shouted  Hercules,  in  great  anger, 
"do  you  intend  to  make  me  bear  this  burden 
forever?  " 

'We  shall  see  about  that,  one  of  these  days," 
answered  the  giant.  '  You  ought  not  to  complain 
if  you  have  to  bear  it  the  next  hundred  years, 
or  perhaps  the  next  thousand.  I  bore  it  a  good 
while  longer.  You  are  a  very  strong  man,  and 
you  will  never  have  a  better  chance  to  prove  it. 
You  will  be  talked  about,  I  can  tell  you." 

'Well,"  answered  Hercules,  'just  take  the 
sky  on  your  head  for  a  minute,  will  you?  If  I 
am  to  spend  many  centuries  here  I  must  make 
a  cushion  of  my  lion's  skin  for  the  weight  to 
rest  upon." 


333 

'  That 's  no  more  than  fair,  and  Til  do  it !  r> 
quoth  the  giant.  '  For  just  five  minutes,  then, 
I'll  take  back  the  sky,  but  only  for  five  minutes, 
remember !  I  have  no  idea  of  spending  another 
thousand  years  as  I  spent  the  last." 

So  the  stupid  old  giant  threw  down  the  golden 
apples  and  took  back  the  sky  upon  his  own 
head  and  shoulders,  where  it  belonged.  Hercules 
picked  up  the  three  golden  apples,  that  were  as 
big  as  pumpkins,  and  set  out  on  his  journey 
homeward.  He  paid  no  heed  to  the  thundering 
voice  of  the  giant,  who  bellowed  after  him  to 
come  back. 

There  stands  the  giant  to  this  day ;  or  at  any 
rate,  there  stands  the  mountain  as  tall  as  he, 
which  bears  his  name.  When  the  thunder  rum- 
bles we  may  imagine  it  to  be  the  voice  of  Giant 
Atlas  bellowing  after  Hercules. 


Where  did  the  golden  apples  grow  ? 

How  were  they  guarded  ? 

Where  did  the  huge  bowl  take  Hercules  ? 

Who  got  the  apples  from  the  garden  ?   Why  ? 

How  did  Hercules  get  the  golden  apples  from  Atlas  ? 


334 


HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  returned,  huge,  weary,  shaggy, 
shuddered,   hastened,   presently,   tuft,   strangled,    gleamed, 
marvelous,    l)rim,    girdle,    mightiest,    bellowing      What   is 
meant  by  iveb-footed  ?     '  Thanking  his  lucky  stars  "  means 
being  glad;    "of  a  sudden,"   at  once;   "get  out  of  my 
clutch,"   get  out   of  my  hands.    Tell  how  the  "  foaming 
ocean  "  looked.    What  is  an  island  ?  "  At  a  stride  "  means 
at  one  step ;  ft  on  a  level,"  even  with  ;  derjth,  deepness. 

2.  Give  the  sound  of  ur  in  burden.    In  journey,  our  =  ur. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

Hesperides  (he's  peVi  dez)  :   maidens  who  watched  the  gar- 
den of  the  golden  apples 
dragon  (drag'un)  :    a  large  serpent  with  wings,  spoken  of 

in  fables  and  stories ;  not  real 
journey  (jur'ni)  :  a  long  trip 
disappear  (dis  a  per')  :  pass  from  sight 
humor  (hu/mer) :  state  of  mind,  disposition 
Atlas  (at'las)  :  a  giant  who  had  to  support  the  heavens  on 

his  head  and  shoulders 
intend  (in  t8nd')  :  have  in  mind,  plan 
complain  (komplan'):  find  fault 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
asking  hero  get 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


335 


MY  TREASURES 

ROBERT  Louis  STEVENSON 

These  nuts,  that  I  keep  in  the  back  of  the  nest 
Where  all  my  lead  soldiers  are  lying  at  rest, 
Were  gathered  in  autumn  by  nursie  and  me 
In  a  wood  with  a  well  by  the  side  of  the  sea. 


This  whistle  we  made  (and  how  clearly  it  sounds  !) 
By  the  side  of  a  field  at  the  end  of  the  grounds, 
Of  a  branch  of  a  plane,  with  a  knife  of  my  own ; 
It  was  nursie  who  made  it,  and  nursie  alone  ! 


336 

The  stone,  with  the  white  and  the  yellow  and  gray, 
We  discovered  I  cannot  tell  how  far  away ; 
And  I  carried  it  back  although  weary  and  cold, 
For  though  father  denies  it,  I'm  sure  it  is  gold. 

But  of  all  my  treasures  the  last  is  the  king, 
For  there 's  very  few  children  possess  such  a  thing ; 
And  that  is  a  chisel,  both  handle  and  blade, 
Which  a  man  who  was  really  a  carpenter  made. 

Name  the  treasures. 

Why  did  the  boy  like  to  count  over  his  treasures  ? 

Which  did  he  like  best?   Why? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

Tell  what  you  know  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson.  Recite 
some  of  the  Stevenson  poems  that  you  know.  Plane.,  a 
spreading  tree  with,  broad  leaves.  Give  other  words  for 
discovered,  weary,  possess.  Denies,  says  is  not  true.  How 
should  you  say  the  second  line  of  the  fourth  stanza? 
Stevenson  used  "there's"  to  show  that  a  little  child  was 
talking.  How  should  the  child  have  said  it  ? 


337 


A  STORY  OF  THE  CAVE  PEOPLE 

MARLBOROUGH  CHURCHILL 

A  CAVE  FAMILY 

Many  thousands  of  years  ago,  in  a  cave  on 
the  side  of  a  hill  overlooking  a  great  forest, 
there  lived  a  family  of  four  people  —  a  father, 
a  mother,  and  a  boy  and  a  girl.  The  boy's 
name  was  Mono  and  the  girl's  name  was  Ula. 

In  the  forests  around  the  cave,  strange  looking 
animals  roamed. 

There  was  the  saber-tooth,  an  immense  cat 
with  two  great  saber-shaped  teeth  in  his  upper 
jaw. 

Then  there  was  the  mammoth,  another  beast 
with  remarkable  teeth.  He  was  a  huge  elephant, 
covered  with  long,  thick  hair  and  having  great 
tusks  that  curved  upward  like  crescents.  These 
he  used  in  digging  up  saplings  and  bushes  so 
that  he  could  eat  the  roots. 

Then  there  were  many  other  animals,  some 
like  those  of  today  and  others  that  are  now 
extinct.  The  people  used  to  hunt  some  of  these 


338 

animals  and  kill  them  with  stone-headed  clubs 
and  flint-headed  javelins,  but  they  never  thought 
of  taming  any  of  them. 

Mono  had  a  cloak  of  wolf  skin  and  Ula  had 
a  coat  of  fawn  skin.  They  slept  on  piles  of 
skins  with  a  bison  hide  on  top. 

The  cave-father  wore  a  cloak  made  of  the  skin 
of  a  grizzly  bear,  and  a  necklace  of  its  teeth  and 
claws ;  and  he  was  looked  upon  by  the  cave  people 
as  a  mighty  hunter. 

But  there  was  another  man  who  wore  a  cloak 
of  cave-bear  skin  with  a  necklace  of  teeth  and 
claws.  The  cave  bear  is  now  extinct,  but  it  was 
even  larger  than  the  grizzly  bear,  and  the  man 
who  wore  his  skin  was  looked  upon  as  the 
mightiest  hunter  of  them  all. 

A  CAVE  SUPPER 

One  day  TJla's  father  came  home  with  a  dead 
deer  on  his  shoulders  and  laid  it  down  before 
the  mouth  of  the  cave.  He  began  to  skin  it 
with  a  flint  knife. 

A  flint  knife  is  a  poor  sort  of  tool  compared 


339 

with  a  steel  knife.  This  knife  was  well  polished, 
but  it  had  a  thick  blade,  so  that  it  could  not 
be  made  very  sharp.  It  was  wonderful  what  a 
man  could  do  with  it  when  he  knew  how  to 
use  it. 

Ula  was  watching  her  father  skin  the  deer 
when  Mono  came  out  of  the  woods  and  up  to 
the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

'Where  is  your  deer?7'  asked  his  father. 

'I  found  two,"  said  Mono,  :'but  each  time 
my  javelin  missed." 

He  looked  sad,  and  his  father  noticed  it. 

'It  will  happen  so,"  he  said,  "but  you  should 
not  have  come  home  without  a  deer  at  this  time 
of  day.  When  I  was  your  age  I  should  not  have 
been  home  until  sunset." 

"A  lion  was  following  me.  I  was  afraid," 
said  Mono. 

'  He  was  afraid  of  you  or  he  would  have 
attacked  you  boldly,"  said  his  father.  '  He  was 
waiting  for  night.  There  is  no  use  in  being 
afraid  of  a  beast  so  long  as  he  is  afraid  of 
you." 


340 

r'But  suppose  I  had  sprained  my  ankle,"  said 
Mono;  "then  I  might  not  have  been  able  to  get 
home  before  darkness  came  on." 

'  You  should  then  have  built  a  fire,"  said  his 
father.  '  Wild  beasts  are  afraid  of  fire.  You 
had  your  flints  and  tinder,  had  you  not?" 

'No,"  answered  Mono,  hanging  his  head  with 
shame. 

"  Oh,  you  forgot  them  again !  "  said  his  father. 
For  a  while  nobody  said  anything. 

That  night  for  supper  the  family  had  part  of 
the  deer  roasted  over  the  fire  on  a  wooden  spit, 
and  nothing  more.  But,  never  having  been  used 
to  anything  better,  they  were  quite  happy. 


NIGHT  IN  THE  CAVE 

When  they  went  to  bed  they  left  the  fire 
burning  in  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  to  keep  wild 
beasts  from  visiting  them. 

It  was  a  summer  night,  but  the  summers 
were  cool  in  that  country,  and  they  were  used 
to  sleeping  in  a  close,  smoky  air. 


341 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  TJla  awoke.  A 
hyena  was  laughing  outside,  but  she  was  not 
afraid  of  him. 

After  a  while  he  became  quiet  and  she  was 
just  falling  off  to  sleep  when  she  heard  the 
long  howl  of  a  wolf  in  the  distance. 

Another  wolf  answered,  and  then  another. 
She  was  afraid  of  them.  She  knew  that  when 
game  was  scarce  they  were  apt  to  move  in 
great  packs  and  attack  people.  However,  the 
howling  of  the  waives  grew  fainter  and  at  last 
stopped  altogether. 

Next  time  she  awoke  she  was  still  more 
afraid.  She  heard  nothing  at  first.  All  was 
very  still.  Then  she  heard  a  slight  noise  just 
outside  the  cave  mouth. 

At  first  she  thought  it  w^as  a  leaf  falling,  but 
other  noises  followed,  stopped,  and  began  again. 
She  knew  that  it  was  the  soft  footfall  of  an 
animal  walking  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

It  was  near  morning,  and  the  fire  was  low. 
Nothing  was  left  of  it  but  a  few  embers,  and 
these  gave  but  little  light. 


342 

Ula  raised  herself  on  her  elbow  and  looked 
over  these  embers  into  the  darkness  beyond. 

At  first  she  could  see  nothing  but  a  wall  of 
blackness.  Then  she  saw  two  balls  of  light  about 
three  feet  above  the  ground.  They  went  away 
and  came  back  again. 

A  slight  breeze  caused  two  or  three  of  the 
embers  to  burst  into  flame.  Then  she  saw  two 
white  streaks  under  the  two  balls  of  light,  - 
just  for  a  moment;  then  there  was  nothing 
but  a  black  wall  again.  But  she  knew  then 
that  a  saber-tooth  was  walking  up  and  down 
in  front  of  the  cave. 

She  knew  that  the  right  thing  to  do  was  to 
put  more  wood  on  the  fire,  but  she  was  afraid 
that  while  she  was  doing  it  the  huge  cat  might 
spring.  However,*  she  knew  some  one  who  would 
not  be  afraid,  so  she  crept  to  her  father's  side  and 
shook  him.  He  was  wide  awake  in  an  instant. 
That  was  the  way  with  the  cave-dwellers. 

She  told  him  what  she  had  seen,  and  with  his 
flint-headed  spear  in  his  hand,  he  went  to  the  fire 
and  put  on  more  wood. 


344 

Soon  it  was  blazing  merrily.  '  He  won't  cross 
that,"  said  the  cave-father,  and  went  back  to 
sleep  again.  Ula  was  no  longer  afraid  and  she 
went  to  sleep,  too.  When  she  woke  again  the 
sky  was  light  and  her  mother  was  getting 
breakfast. 

THE  FIRST  ARTIST 

The  next  day  Mono  came  home  again  without 
any  game,  but  he  had  something  with  him  that 
interested  him  and  Ula  as  much  as  if  he  had 
brought  home  a  deer.  It  was  a  piece  of  red  ocher. 

He  showed  her  how  he  could  make  a  mark 
with  it  on  the  white  cliffs  that  formed  the  walls 
of  the  cave.  He  went  on  making  marks  until 
suddenly  she  jumped  and  screamed  with  delight. 

'  What  is  the  matter?  "  asked  her  mother,  who 
was  half  asleep  by  the  fire. 

"  See  what  he  has  made !  r'  cried  Ula,  clapping 
her  hands  with  joy. 

The  mother  came  and  looked.  '  Why,  it  's  a 
reindeer!7'  said  she. 

'I  knew  you  would  know  what  it  was!'; 
cried  Ula. 


345 

It  was  a  crude  drawing,  but  these  two  had 
never  seen  a  picture  before,  and  so  it  was  won- 
derful to  them.  Mono's  father  had  to  be  called, 
and  he  too  thought  it  was  wonderful. 

But  you  know  how  provoking  fathers  can  be 
about  casting  cold  water  on  things.  '  If  it  were 
as  easy  for  you  to  get  a  real  deer  as  it  is  for 
you  to  draw  one,  you  would  be  a  great  hunter,'7 
he  said. 

'He  will  be  a  great  hunter  yet/7  said  the 
mother. 

"Yes,"  said  Ula. 

'I  did  not  get  home  until  sunset  this  time," 
said  Mono. 

He  went  on  drawing,  and  again  every  one  could 
tell  the  picture  -  -  Ula  before  it  w^as  half  finished. 

"  Oh,"  she  said,  "it  looks  just  like  the  one 
that  came  here  last  night!7' 

'If  it  had  teeth  like  that,  it  must  have  been 
huge,77  said  the  father. 

Then  Mono  tried  his  hand  again,  but  this 
time  the  picture  was  not  so  good.  The  mother 
thought  it  was  a  lion.  The  father  thought  it  was 


346 

a  hippopotamus.  :'  Any  one  can  see  that  it  is  a 
bird  of  some  kind/7  said  Ula. 

Mono  was  good-natured.  '  I  would  not  have 
known  what  it  was  myself  if  someone  else  had 
drawn  it,'7  he  said.  'I  heard  some  of  them  roar- 
ing in  the  great  swamp  today.  Tomorrow  I  will 
go  down  there  and  watch  them.  Then  I  shall 
be  able  to  draw  one." 

"  Oh,  mammoths !  r<  said  the  mother.  '  Now 
that  you  have  told  me  what  it  is,  I  see  that  it 
does  look  very  much  like  a  mammoth.7' 

'I  hope,"  said  his  father,  "  that  you  will  not 
let  this  new  idea  turn  your  head.  You  had  better 
learn  more  about  killing  deer  before  you  study 
how  to  draw  mammoths." 

'Don't  let  him  go,  papa,"  said  Ula.  'He 
might  get  hurt." 

'  The  boy  must  learn  not  to  be  afraid  of  ani- 
mals," said  the  father.  '  If  this  new  idea  of  his 
is  going  to  teach  him  that,  it  is  a  good  one." 

'You  must  be  very  careful,  my  son,77  said 
his  mother. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  will  be  very  careful,77  said  Mono. 


347 
THE  MAMMOTH  HUNT 

Next  day,  long  before  sunset,  Mono  came  home 
from  his  mammoth  hunt.  You  can  guess  how 
happy  his  mother  and  sister  were  when  they 
saw  him. 

He  brought  great  news  with  him.  He  had 
found  a  mammoth  caught  in  the  great  swamp. 
Knowing  their  weight,  mammoths  were  very  care- 
ful as  to  where  they  trusted  themselves.  But  this 
one  had  gone  too  close  to  the  edge  of  a  deep 
pond  where  the  bank  was  rotten,  and  it  had 
given  way.  He  had  slid  into  the  deep  mud  and 
could  not  get  out. 

The  next  day  Mono  led  nearly  all  the  men 
and  boys  that  lived  within  ten  miles  to  the 
place  where  the  mammoth  lay.  Tired  out  by  his 
struggles,  he  had  fallen  over  on  his  side. 

With  their  flint  knives  and  spears  they  bled 
the  mammoth  to  death.  This  was  better  for  the 
poor  beast  than  starving  or  being  eaten  alive 
by  other  beasts. 

The  whole  neighborhood  had  a  great  feast 
and  plenty  of  fine,  thick  skin  for  sandals.  These 


348 

sandals  were  pieces  of  skin  wrapped  round  their 
feet  and  ankles  and  tied  with  thongs  of  leather. 

The  tusks  were  carried  to  Mono's  cave  and 
put  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  as  ornaments. 
Mono's  father  was  told  over  and  over  again  that 
his  son  would  become  a  great  hunter.  The  cave- 
father  smiled  but  said  nothing. 

Compare  the  home  of  the  cave  family  with  the  home  of 
today  (with  your  own  home). 

What  food  did  they  have  ? 

What  tools  ? 

How  did  they  keep  wild  animals  away  ? 

What  shows  that  in  their  play  cave  children  were  some- 
what like  children  of  today  ? 

How  did  the  men  hunt  great  animals  without  guns  ? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Saber-shaped  means  shaped  like  a  curved  sword; 
"  tusks  that  curved  upward  like  crescents,"  large  teeth 
shaped  like  the  new  moon ;  saplings,  small  trees.  Name 
some  animals  of  the  cave  time.  What  animals  are  now 
extinct  ?  What  is  meant  by  flint-headed  f  What  tools  were 
made  of  flint?  "Bison  hide"  is  the  skin  of  a  bison,  or 
buffalo.  What  is  a  fawn?  Tinder  means  a  small  piece 
of  wood  to  catch  the  spark  from  the  flint ;  "  a  wooden 
spit,"  a  pointed  rod  for  holding  meat  while  it  is  being 


349 

roasted ;  "  game  was  scarce,"  there  were  very  few  animals 
to  be  found  for  food  ;  embers,  pieces  of  lighted  wood ;  saber- 
tooth,  a  saber-toothed  tiger;  "  crude  drawings,"  simple, 
unfinished  drawings.  Give  other  words  for  pack,  fainter, 
slight.  "  Tired  out  by  his  struggles  "  means  tired  out  from 
trying  to  get  out  of  the  mud ;  thongs,  straps  of  leather. 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ea  =  a,  ea  =  a,  ea  =  e, 
ea  =  e,  ei  =  a,  ue  =  e,  ie  =  i,  aw  =  6,  ir  =  ur,  ear  =  ur,  and 
ur  =  ur. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
immense  (i  m8ns') :.  huge,  very  large 
mammoth  (mam'oth)  :  a  very  large  elephant  not  living  now 
remarkable  (re  mar'ka  b'l)  :  strange,  wonderful 
extinct  (Sks  tlnkt') :  no  longer  to  be  found 
javelins  (jaVlmz)  :  light  spears  to  be  thrown  by  hand 
bison  (bi'sun)  :  a  kind  of  buffalo 
attacked  (a  takt')  :  fell  upon  with  force 
hyena  (hi  e'na)  ;  a  wild  animal  like  a  wolf  that  seeks  its 

food  at  night 

ocher  (o'ker)  :  a  kind  of  clay  used  in  making  paints 
provoking  (pro  vok'ing)  :  tending  to  make  angry 
ornaments  (or'na  ments)  :  objects  of  beauty 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  : 
careful  Mono  Ula 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


350 


LOTUS  AND  RAINBOW 

CAROLINE  B.  CHURCHILL 
PART  I 

Long  before  Joseph's  brethren  went  down  into 
Egypt  to  buy  corn  there  lived  on  the  banks  of  the 
Nile  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  The  boy  was 
about  twelve  years  old  and  the  girl  was  two  years 
younger.  Her  name  was  Lotus,  and  his,  Rainbow, 
for  in  those  days  the  Egyptians  used  names  which 
had  a  meaning.  All  names  had  meanings  at  one 
time,  though  the  meanings  now  are  often  lost. 

The  boy  and  girl  were  very  close  friends  and 
they  liked  to  be  together.  Sometimes  they  sat 
on  a  great  stone  by  the  river  and  talked.  Some- 
times they  threw  pebbles  into  the  water.  Often 
they  watched  the  hippopotamuses  and  crocodiles 
swimming  about,  and  the  flamingoes  and  ibises 
flying  and  wading. 

Lotus  was  quite  an  artist,  and  she  would  bring 
her  paint  and  brush  and  papyrus  to  the  rock 
and  make  pictures  of  what  she  saw.  Rainbow 
was  never  tired  of  watching  her. 


351 

Though  she  lived  in  Egypt,  Lotus  never  painted 
any  pyramids.  It  seems  queer  to  think  there  was 
a  time  when  there  were  no  pyramids  in  Egypt. 
But  no  one  had  ever  seen  a  pyramid  in  the  days 
when  Lotus  lived.  Nor  were  there  any  temples 
or  palaces  or  cities  of  any  great  size  or  splendor. 
There  was  no  kingdom  of  Egypt  then,  but  one 
king  ruled  over  the  northern,  and  one  over  the 
southern  part.  All  along  the  Nile  were  villages 
of  mud-walled  houses  thatched  with  straw  and 
leaves.  Each  of  these  villages  had  its  chief  who 
was  a  vassal  of  the  king. 

Sometimes  Lotus  painted  gazelles,  for  the 
country  was  so  wild  that  she  often  saw  them 
coming  to  the  river  to  drink ;  and  once  she  saw 
a  lion,  but  she  was  so  frightened  that  she  never 
thought  of  painting  him.  Eainbow  was  not  with 
her  that  day.  If  he  had  been,  she  would  not  have 
been  so  frightened,  for  though  he  was  only  twelve 
years  old,  he  was  a  fine  bowman  and  skillful  at 
wielding  the  spear  and  throwing  the  club.  His 
arrows  and  spear  were  tipped  with  copper,  for 
the  Egyptians  had  no  steel. 


352 

There  were  baboons  living  among  the  rocks,  but 
of  these  she  could  not  get  a  good  picture.  They 
were  so  lively  that  they  would  never  stand  still. 

One  day  when  she  had  grown  tired  of  painting 
the  same  things  over  and  over,  she  sat  for  a  long 
while  on  the  rock,  looking  across  the  river.  Rain- 
bow lay  on  the  sand  at  her  feet.  A  new  idea  came 
to  her.  She  painted  something  and  handed  it  to 
him.  "  That  is  you!  "  she  said.  "  Oh,"  said  he, 
smiling,  "  of  course  it  is.  It  is  a  rainbow." 

It  was  painted  in  four  colors,  red,  yellow,  green, 
and  blue. 

;t  Now,"  he  said,  "paint  yourself." 

She  did  so. 

"  Good !  "   said  Rainbow. 

She  tore  the  piece  of  papyrus  in  two  and 
handed  him  the  piece  that  had  the  lotus  on  it. 

'Keep  that,"  she  said,  "and  every  time  you 
look  at  it,  it  will  remind  you  of  me." 

'Keep  the  other  piece  yourself,"  he  said, 
'  that  it  may  remind  you  of  me." 

She  smiled.  ''I  will  do  so,"  she  said,  "but  I 
shall  not  need  it  to  remind  me  of  you." 


353 


LOTUS  AND  RAINBOW 
PART  II 

Lotus  lived  in  the  best  house  in  the  village, 
for  her  father,  Ibis,  was  the  chief.  When  she 
came  home  that  night  Ibis  said  to  her,  "  I  don't 
want  you  to  speak  to  Rainbow  again. " 

"  Why  not?  "  asked  Lotus. 

"Because,"  said  her  father,  "he  is  my  enemy, 
and  I  intend  to  kill  him." 

"Oh!"  cried  Lotus. 

'Yes,"  said  her  father,  'I  had  a  dream  last 
night,  in  which  he  met  me  on  the  river  bank. 
He  had  grown  to  be  a  man.  He  fitted  an  arrow 
to  his  bowstring  and  raised  his  bow  to  shoot 
me.  I  could  do  nothing  to  defend  myself.  If  I  let 
him  grow  up  he  will  kill  me  and  be  chief  in 
my  stead." 

'He  would  never  do  that,"  cried  Lotus,  "he 
thinks  too  much  of  me." 

'  What  would  that  matter  to  him  if  he  thought 
that  he  could  be  chief?"  said  her  father.  'The 
only  safe  thing  to  do  is  to  put  him  out  of  the 


354 

way.  He  is  a  well-favored  boy  and  will  make  a 
fine  sacrifice  to  Ra.  Tomorrow  is  the  day  for 
choosing  a  victim.  I  will  speak  to  the  chief  priest 
and  tell  him  to  select  Rainbow." 

Lotus  wanted  to  cry.  She  knew  what  her 
father's  words  meant.  The  priests  would  seize 
Rainbow,  take  him  to  the  temple,  and  after  a 
long  ceremony  kill  him  on  the  altar  of  the  ter- 
rible god  Ra,  -  -  a  monstrous  idol  with  the  body 
of  a  man  and  the  head  of  a  hawk. 

Presently  Lotus  went  to  the  door. 

'Where  are  you  going ?"    asked  her  father. 

Lotus   said  nothing. 

"  Come  back/7  said  the  chief.  'I  have  told 
you  too  much  to  let  you  go  out/7 

'May  I  not  go  out  for  fresh  air?"  asked 
Lotus. 

"  Wait,"  said  Ibis.   Then  he  called,  "Asp,  Asp !  " 

'Here,  master,"  answered  a  voice  outside,  and 
an  old  woman  entered  the  house. 

"  Go  with  my  daughter,"  said  Ibis.  "  She  wants 
to  take  the  air.  Let  her  go  where  she  pleases, 
but  see  that  she  speaks  to  no  one." 


355 


'  If  she  does,  let  my  head  be  the  forfeit/7  said 
the  old  woman. 

'I  will  not  go  out  yet,"  said  Lotus. 

Her  father  smiled. 

'I  thought  so/'  he  said. 

Lotus  sat  down  and  rested  her  chin  in  her 
hand  while  the  tears  ran  slowly  down  her 
face. 

Asp  began  to  make  the  fire  and  cook  the 
supper.  After  a  while  Lotus  painted  by  the  light 
of  the  fire.  This  picture  looks  like  the  picture 
that  she  painted. 


356 

'  I  wish  I  could  think  of  something  that  he 
would  be  more  sure  to  understand/'  she  said  to 
herself.  "But  alas,  I  can't/' 

After  supper  she  said  to  Asp,  "  Come,  we  will 
go  out." 

They  took  a  long  walk  through  the  village. 
Finally  Lotus  saw  Rainbow.  She  went  toward 
him  and  he  came  to  meet  her. 

"  Ah!':  he  said,  "you  are  out  late."  She  put 
her  finger  to  her  lip. 

"She  is  forbidden  to  speak,"  said  Asp. 

"  Oh,"  said  Rainbow. 

Just  then,  as  Lotus  passed  him,  he  felt  some- 
thing pushed  into  his  hand.  Asp  turned  a 
moment  later  and  saw  him  looking  at  a  bit  of 
bark.  She  thought  nothing  of  that. 

"  Come,  we  will  go  home,"  said  Lotus. 

'Very  well,"  said  the  old  woman. 

The  moon  had  risen  by  that  time,  and  it  was 
almost  as  light  as  day.  Rainbow  looked  at  the 
paper  intently. 

'Why  was  she  forbidden  to  speak?"  he  said 
to  himself.  '  But  one  thing  is  clear.  She  could 


357 

not  speak  and  had  something  she  wanted  to  tell 
me,  so  she  has  given  me  this.  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

He  puzzled  over  it  for  a  while. 

'I  am  this,"  he  said,  "  this  figure  with  the 
rainbow  over  its  head.  Who  is  this  pushing  me? 
Ah !  I  know.  The  bird  over  his  head  is  like  an 
ibis.  It  is  Ibis,  her  father.  And  here  is  Ra. 
I  know  him  by  his  hawk's  head.  And  the  thing 
below  him  must  be  his.  altar.  And  Lotus  is 
weeping.  Oh !  '; 

His  face  went  pale  in  the  moonlight. 

'I  am  to  be  a  sacrifice  to  Ra,"  he  said,  "and 
tomorrow  is  the  choosing  day." 

Then  he  looked  at  the  other  figures. 

'  I  am  running  away  and  Lotus  dancing  with 
joy,"  he  said.  'But  I  will  not  run.  I  know 
a  better  way.  I  will  take  a  boat.  I  have  owed 
my  uncle  a  visit  for  a  long  while.  Now  I  shall 
pay  him  a  longer  visit  than  he  expects." 

He  looked  at  the  picture.  'You  have  saved 
me,  Lotus,"  he  said.  'I  know  that  you  are  a 
clever  girl,  but  I  never  knew  before  how  clever 
you  are.  Alas  that  I  must  leave  you ! ': 


358 

LOTUS  AND  RAINBOW 
PART  III 

Great  was  the  delight  of  Lotus,  and  very  much 
enraged  was  her  father,  when  next  morning  Rain- 
bow was  nowhere  to  be  found.  During  the  night  he 
had  crossed  the  river  to  a  village  on  the  other  side, 
where  his  -uncle  was  chief ;  so  there  he  was  safe. 

At  first  Ibis  believed  that  Asp  had  deceived 
him ;  and  he  threatened  to  have  her  thrown  to  the 
crocodiles,  but  Lotus  swore  by  the  great  god  Ra 
that  she  had  spoken  to  no  one  during  her  walk. 
Neither  her  father  nor  the  old  woman  ever  knew 
how  Rainbow  had  been  warned. 

The  two  friends  were  very  sad  for  a  while  at 
being  separated,  but  they  used  to  talk  to  each 
other  by  means  of  paintings,  and  as  time  went 
on  they  became  more  and  more  skillful  in 
expressing  their  thoughts.  After  a  while  they 
taught  this  painting  to  others,  and  the  simple 
art  of  writing  began  to  spread  along  the  Nile. 

Rainbow  was  finally  able  to  go  back  to  his  old 
home,  and  he  and  Lotus  were  able  to  see  each 
other  as  often  as  they  liked. 


359 

Why  did  Lotus's  father  wish  to  kill  Rainbow  ? 

How  did  he  plan  to  kill  him  ? 

What  did  Ibis  forbid  Lotus  to  do? 

How  did  she  manage  to  warn  Rainbow  ? 

How  did  he  escape?    How  does  the  story  end? 

HELPS  TO  STUDY 

1.  Do  you  know  the  story  of  "  Joseph  and  his  Breth- 
ren "  ?   Tell  it.    "  Papyrus  bark,"  part  of  the  papyrus  plant 
used  for  writing  or  painting.    Try  to  find  a  picture  of  the 
pyramids  of  Egypt  either  in  a  book  or  in  a  museum. 
Splendor  means  beauty ;  thatched,  covered ;  vassal,  a  sub- 
ject of  the  king ;  skillful,  apt,  clever.    What  are  baboons  ? 
How  does  a  lotus  flower  look  ?    Well-favored  means  hand- 
some ;  sacrifice,  an  offering;  victim,  a  person  sacrificed  to  a 
god.   Give  another  word  for  select.   Intently,  thoughtfully; 
enraged,   angered;    "  expressing  their  thoughts,"   telling 
their  thoughts  by  means  of  pictures;    "art  of  writing," 
putting  speech  into  words  on  paper. 

2.  Find  and  write  ten  words  which  have  letters  not  heard. 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 

flamingoes  (fla  min'goz)  :  large  water  birds  having  long 

necks  and  legs 

ibises  (I'bls  Sz)  :  water  birds  having  long,  curved  bills 
gazelles  (ga  zSlz')  :  small  deer 
ceremony  (seVe  mo  ni)  :  a  religious  service 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377 : 
something     nothing     writing     smiling     looking     being 
For  spelling  see  page  392. 


360 


HIAWATHA'S  PICTURE-WRITING 
HENRY  WADSWORTH  LONGFELLOW 

In  the  poem  of  Hiawatha,  Longfellow  has  put 
together  the  most  beautiful  stories  of  our  Amer- 
ican Indians.  In  the  early  part  of  the  poem, 
stories  are  told  of  the  four  winds,  of  flowers,  of 
animals,  of  the  rainbow,  and  of  the  moon. 

As  Hiawatha  grows  older  he  is  made  the  hero 
of  many  adventures,  such  as  the  killing  of  the 
red  deer.  To  him  also  is  given  honor  for  many 
discoveries,  as  the  use  of  Indian  corn  for  food. 

When  he  grew  to  be  a  man,  Hiawatha  introduced 
the  art  of  picture-writing  to  the  Indians,  just  as 
Mono  did  many  years  before  to  the  cave-dwellers. 

Here  are  some  lines  from  the  poem  that  tell 
about  the  picture-writing: 

In  those  days  said  Hiawatha, 

:t  Lo  1    how  all  things  fade  and  perish !  .  .  . 

On  the  grave-posts  of  our  fathers 
Are  no  signs,  no  figures  painted; 
Who  are  in  those  graves  we  know  not, 
Only  know  they  are  our  fathers.   .  .  . 


361 

Face  to  face  we  speak  together, 
But  we  cannot  speak  w^hen  absent, 
Cannot  send  our  voices  from  us 
To  the  friends  that  dwell  afar  off; 
Cannot  send  a  secret  message, 
But  the  bearer  learns  our  secret.  .  .  ." 

Thus  said  Hiawatha,  walking 
In  the  solitary  forest, 
Pondering,  musing  in  the  forest, 
On  the  welfare  of  his  people. 

From  his  pouch  he  took  his  colors, 
Took  his  paints  of  different  colors, 
On  the  smooth  bark  of  a  birch-tree, 
Painted  many  shapes  and  figures, 
Wonderful  and  mystic  figures, 
And  each  figure  had  a  meaning, 
Each  some  wrord  or  thought  suggested. 

For  the  earth  he  drew  a  straight  line, 
For  the  sky  a  bow  above  it; 
White  the  space  between  for  daytime, 
Filled  with  little  stars  for  night-time ; 
On  the  left  a  point  for  sunrise, 


M7 


362 

On  the  right  a  point  for  sunset, 
On  the  top  a  point  for  noontide, 
And  for  rain  and  cloudy  weather 
Waving  lines  descending  from  it. 

Footprints  pointing  toward  a  wigwam 

Were  a  sign  of  invitation, 

« 

Were  a  sign  of  guests  assembling; 
Bloody  hands  with  palms  uplifted 
Were  a  symbol  of  destruction, 
Were  a  hostile  sign  and  symbol. 

Thus  it  was  that  Hiawatha, 
In  his  wisdom,  taught  the  people 
All  the  mysteries  of  painting, 
All  the  art  of  Picture-Writirig, 
On  the  smooth  bark  of  the  birch-tree 
On  the  white  skin  of  the  reindeer, 
On  the  grave-posts  of  the  village. 

Repeat  all  the  stories  you  can  remember  about  Hiawa- 
tha's childhood. 

What  gift  did  he  give  to  his  people  when  a  man  ? 

What  two  reasons  are  given  why  the  Indians  needed 
a  written  language? 


364 

What  kind  of  writing  did  Hiawatha  use  ? 
What  were    the    word    pictures    for   earth,    sky,    day, 
night,  sunrise,  sunset,  noon,  rain,  an  invitation,  enemies  ? 


HELPS  TO   STUDY 

1.  Give  other  words  for  perish,  dwell,  learns.    "  Solitary 
forest,"  lonely,  silent  forest,  without  people  ;  "  pondering, 
musing,"  thinking  about;   "welfare  of  his  people,"  good 
of  his  people.    Give  another  word  for  pouch.    What  mate- 
rials   did    the    Indians   use   for   drawing   and   painting  ? 
"  Mystic  figures,"  signs  having  a  secret  meaning.    Go  to 
the  library  and  read  Kipling's  "  Story  of  Picture  Writing." 

2.  Find  words  in  the  story  where  ai  =  a,  ew  =  oo,  y  =  i, 
ow  =  o,  ue  =  e,  ou  =  ow,  and  au  =  6. 

V 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  charts,  pages  365-373  : 
solitary  (sol'i  ta  ri)  :  lonely 
suggested  (sug  j8st'8d) :  called  up  in  the  mind 
descending  (de  sgnd'mg)  :  going  down 
invitation  (in  vita/shun)  :  asking  for  a  person's  company 
assembling  (a  sgm'bling)  :  coming  together 
symbol  (sfm'bol)  :  sign,  that  which  stands  for  something 
destruction  (de  struk'shun)  :   ruin  by  enemies 
hostile  (h5s'til)  :  warlike 
mysteries  :   (mis'tSr  iz)  :  things  unknown 

Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary,  pages  374-377  I 
word  figure  point 

For  spelling  see  page  392. 


365 


PHONETIC  CHARTS 

CONSONANT  SOUNDS 

FIRST  YEAR  — FIRST  HALF 

(To  be  used  by  children  for  reference) 


sandy 

lies 

fire 

five 

s 

s 

f 

V 

moon 

Pittypat 

bill 

spin 

m 

P 

b 

n 

tart 

and 

his 

while 

t 

d 

h 

wh 

wee 

rain 

little 

could 

w 

r 

1 

c 

kite 

good 

Jack 

swing 

k 

g 

j 

ing 

thing 

then 

Shuffle 

children 

th 

th 

sh 

ch 

366 


BLEND  CONSONANTS  AND  VOWEL  SOUNDS 
FIKST  YEAR  — SECOND  HALF 


thee 

spin 

is 

stop 

baby 

ee 

sp 

i 

st 

a 

slumber 

elf 

swing 

chap 

% 

si 

6 

sw 

a 

fl 

go 

plot 

fun 

trot 

white 

0 

pl 

u 

tr 

I 

dreams 

dark 

flock 

green 

duty 

dr 

a 

0 

gr 

u 

a  =  a  in  baby 

I  =  i  in  white 

a  =  a  in  chap 

1  =  1  in  is 

a  =  a  in  dark 

0  =  0  in  go 

o  =  o  in  flock 

ee  =  ee  in  thee 

e  =  e  in  me 

u  =  u  in  duty 

e  =  e  in  elf 

ii  =  u  in  fun 

367 


VOWEL  AND  CONSONANT  SOUNDS 
SECOND  YEAR,  — FIRST  HALF 


strong 

full 

size 

quite 

ng 

u 

z 

qu  =  kw 

yellow 

all 

noise 

boys 

y 

a 

oi 

oy 

moon 

dew 

chew 

hood 

oo 

ew  =  u 

ew=oo 

do 

short 

fox 

out 

ice 

6  =  aw 

x  =  ks 

ou 

c 

oo  =  oo  in  moon 

do  =  oo  in  hood 

6  =  o  in  short 


u  in  full  =  do  in  hood 
a  in  all  =  6  in  short 
ew  in  dew  =  u  in  duty 
ew  in  chew  =  oo  in  moon 


368 


VOWEL  AND  CONSONANT  SOUNDS 
SECOND  YEAR  — SECOND  HALF 


page 


done 


thief 
ie  =  e 


died 


dolly 
7=1 


o  in  done  =  u  in  fun 
ie  in  died  =  i  in  white 


ie  in  thief  =  e  in  me 
y  in  dolly  =  1  in  is 


WORDS  TO  PRONOUNCE 


cane  shake  age  shade 
fan  catch  rabbit  clap 
bar  lard  chart  father 
rmd  China  ice  ripe 
ill  prick  visit  pitch 
fuse  pure  music  tune 
under  hub  brush  hutch 
c6rn  sort  cord  scorch 
all  stall  chalk  warms 
quite  queen  quit  quill 
fox  vex  next  mix  exit 
thief  chief  field  pier 
died  pie  lie  flies  tie 


keep  steel  weed  screen 
even  he  these  eve  the 
elf  fret  egg  desk  then 
open  go  drone  home  old 
5ff  trot  rod  drop  dock 
tool  boot  goose  shoot 
good  wool  stood  wooden 
dew  stew  new  few  mews 
chew  flew  drew  screws 
full  pull  bush  bull  put 
done  other  some  month 
dolly  happy  fairy  pony 
ice  face  page  gem  gill 


369 


EQUIVALENT  SOUNDS 
THIKD  YEAR  — FIKST  HALF 


glass 

care 

my 

eye 

was 

a 

a 

y  =  I 

eye  =  i 

a  =  6 

roaring 

follow 

beneath 

people 

many 

oa  =  o 

ow  =  6 

ea  =  e 

eo  =  e 

a  =  6 

heads 

Geoffrey 

minute 

rough 

says 

ea  =  6 

eo  =  g 

U  =  l 

ou  =  u 

ay  =  e 

nurse 

bird 

her 

to 

you 

ur  =  ur 

ir  =  ur 

er  =  ur 

0  =  00 

ou  =  oo 

shoulder 

sure 

caught 

thought 

laid 

ou  =  o 

u  =  oo 

au  =  6 

ou  =  6 

ai  =  a 

pay 

great 

true 

shoe 

friend 

ay  =  a 

ea  =  a 

ue  =  oo 

oe  =  6o 

ie  =  e 

there 

wear 

sew 

should 

reindeer 

e  =  a 

ea  =  a 

ew  =  6 

011=66 

ei  =  a 

370 


EQUIVALENT  SOUNDS  (CONTINUED) 


build 
ui  =  i 

blood           guard            early           broad 
oo  =  u           ua  =  a         ear  =  ur         oa  =  6 

laid 

pay 

great 
reindeer 

ai  =  a  in  baby 
ay  =  a  in  baby 

shoulder    ou  =  o  in  go 
sew           ew  =  o  in  go 

ea  —  a  in  baby 
ei  =  a  in  baby 

was              a  =  o  in  flock 

guard 

ua  =  a  in  dark 

dawns      aw  =  6  in  short 

there 
wear 

e  =  a  in  care 
ea  =  a  in  care 

caught       au  —  o  in  short 
thought    ou  =  6  in  short 
broad         oa  =  6  in  short 

beneath 
people 

. 

ea  —  e  in  me 
eo  =  e  in  me 

to                 o  =  oo  in  moon 

many 
heads 
Geoffrey 
says 
friend 

a  =  e  in  elf 
ea  =  e  in  elf 
eo  =  e  in  elf 
ay  =  e  in  elf 

J'UU                        UU         <JU  111  111UU11 

sure             u  =  oo  in  moon 
true            ue  =  oo  in  moon 
shoe           oe  =  oo  in  moon 

ie  =  e  in  elf 

should       ou  =  do  in  hood 

my 
eye 

y  =  I  in  white 
eye  =  I  in  white 

rough        ou  =  u  in  fun 
blood         oo  =  u  in  fun 

minute 
build 

u  =  i  in  is 
ui  =  i  in  is 

nurse          ur  =  ur  in  urn 
hirrl                ir  —  fir  in  firn 

roaring 
follow 

oa  =  o  in  go 
ow  =  o  in  go 

her              er  =  ur  in  urn 
early         ear  =  ur  in  urn 

371 


WORDS  TO  PRONOUNCE 


ate 

ail         bay 

break 

neigh 

ark 

father 

palm 

guard 

fare 

where 

pear 

chair 

be 

sea 

beak 

people 

end 

den 

any 

read 

bread 

leopard 

says 

friend 

like 

spy 

flying 

eye 

him 

busy 

build 

guilt 

bone 

oak 

goat 

blow 

soul 

mould 

sews 

sewing 

chop 

block 

what 

swan 

core 

lawn 

draw 

cause 

saucer 

ought 

cough 

broad 

boot 

do 

wound 

rule 

good 

would 

could 

should 

Susan 

hue 

beauty 

view 

bud 

couple 

double 

flood 

burn 

sir 

fern 

heard 

fast 

ask 

bath 

ant 

pathway 

craft 

dance 

grass 

372 


EQUIVALENT  SOUNDS 

THIRD  YEAR  — SECOND  HALF 


sofa 
a 

married 
ie  =  l 

prettier 
e  =  l 

donkey 
ey  =  i 

captain 
ai  =  i 

laughed 
au  =  a 

world 
or  =  ur 

journey 
our  =  ur 

buy 
uy  =  1 

chorus 
ch  =  k 

machine 
i  =  e 

Aeolus 
ae  =  e 

key 
ey  =  e 

bargain 
ai  =  e 

guest 
ue  =  e 

they 
ey  =  a 

after 
er  =  gr 

fruit 
ui  =  oo 

beautiful 
eau  =  u 

treasure 
s  =  zh 

(voice  of  sh) 

they       ey  =  a  in  baby 

captain        ai  =  I  in  is 
married        ie  =  i  in  is 
prettier         e  =  i  in  is 
donkey       ey  =  i  in  is 

laughed  au  =  a  in  dark 

again        a  =  a  in  sofa 

machine    i 
Aeolus    ae 
key         ey 

=  e  in  me 

fruit             ui  =  oo  in  moon 

—  e  in  me 
=  e  in  me 

beautiful  eau  =  u  in  duty 

bargain   ai  =  e  in  elf 
guest      ue  =  e  in  elf 

world           or  =  ur  in  urn 
journey     our  =  ur  in  urn 

matter    er  =  er  in  after 

chorus         ch  =  k  in  kite 

buy        uy  =  I  in  white 

treasure        s  =  zh  (voice  of  sh) 

373 


WORDS   TO   PRONOUNCE 

(Read  across) 


make         pail  play  great  reins  they 
hark          guard  laughed  aunt  heart  baa 
sofa  again  away  about  giant 

he  see  pea  people  machine  ^Eolus  Phoebe  key 

field  seize 
met  any    read    friend    bargain    guest    leopard 

says    bury 
after          matter  supper  winter 

ice  pie  my  buy  aye 

ship  system   England   married   build    been   busy 

women    pretty    forfeit    money    carriage 

soon          fruit    do    shoe    two    wound    Sioux    sure 

duty          cue    beautiful    few 

burn          bird  her  pearls  world  journey 


chorus 


school    chord 


treasure 


pleasure    measure 


374 


LITTLE  DICTIONARY 

To  THE  PUPILS.  The  dictionary  is  used  to  find  the  meanings  of 
words  which  you  do  not  understand.  Another  use  of  the  dictionary 
is  for  the  pronunciation  of  words.  In  this  book  the  hard  words  are 
printed  at  the  end  of  each  lesson,  with  their  meanings. 

You  will  also  find  at  the  end  of  each  lesson  a  list  of  words 
under  the  heading  :  "  Pronounce  these  words,  using  dictionary." 
The  words  listed  are  those  which  are  often  pronounced  incorrectly. 

We  can  learn  how  to  use  the  dictionary  by  finding  and  pronounc- 
ing these  easy  words,  and  at  the  same  time  we  may  learn  to  speak 
good  English.  You  are  asked  to  find  some  of  these  words  several 
times,  that  you  may  be  sure  of  their  pronunciation. 

To  find  a  word  in  this  little  dictionary,  notice  the  first  two  letters 
of  the  word.  Then  turn  to  the  column  where  the  words  begin  with 
the  same  letter  as  your  word.  Look  down  the  column  till  you  find 
words  that  begin  with  the  first  two  letters  of  your  word. 

If  you  do  not  remember  the  marks  over  the  letters,  find  them  in 
the  key  to  pronunciation  printed  below. 


KEY  TO  PRONUNCIATION 


a  as  in  ate 
3,  as  in  Celt 
a  as  in  dark 

e  as  in  me 
8  as  in  81  f 
er  as  in  after 

o  as  in  go 
5  as  in  not 
6  as  in  short 

th  as  in  thing 
(breath) 
th  as  in  then 

a  as  in  ask 
a  as  in  care 

I  as  in  white 

6  as  in  soft 
oo  as  in  moon 

(voice) 

a  as  in  sofa 

I  as  in  Is 

do  as  in  hood 
ou  as  in  out 

u  as  in  duty 
u  as  in  fun 

oi  as  in  noise 

ur  as  in  urn 

375 


after  (after) 

afterwards  (after  werdz) 

again  (a  gen') 

against  (a  genst') 

ah  (a) 

alone  (a  Ion') 

Ame-ya  (a'ma-ya) 

armor  (ar'mer) 

arrow  (ar'o) 

ask  (ask) 

asked  (askt) 

asking  (ask'mg) 

ate  (at) 

aunt  (ant) 

aye  (i) 

backward  (bak'werd) 
bade  (bad) 
basket  (bas'ket) 
because  (be  k6z') 
being  (be'mg) 
birds  (burdz) 
birth  (burth) 
brass  (bras) 
burst  (burst) 

careful  (kar'fool) 
carefully  (kar'fool  i) 
castles  (kas'lz) 


catches  (katch'ez) 
clamor  (klam'er) 
clothes  (klothz) 
coming  (kum'ing) 
cost  (kost) 
croquet  (kro  ka') 
dirt  (durt) 
dirty  (dur'ti) 
dogs  (dogz) 
drowned  (dround) 
dumplings  (dump'lmgz) 
duty  (du'ti) 
dwarf  (dwSrf) 


early  (ur'li) 
earth  (urth) 
either  (e'ther) 
enough  (e  nuf 


faster  (fast'er) 
fault  (folt) 
fellow  fel'o) 
figure  (fig'ur) 
first  (furst) 
flying  (fli'ing) 
forbade  (for  bad') 
forehead  (for'ed) 
forward  (foVwerd) 


376 


gayly  (ga'li) 
gently  (jen'tli) 
get  (get) 
glass  (glas) 
glasses  (glas'ez) 
gliding  (glid'ing) 
glory  (glo'ri) 
God  (god) 
going  (go'ing) 
gone  (gon) 
grass  (gras) 
gutters  (gut'erz) 

half  (haf ) 

half -past  (haf -past') 
heard  (hurd) 
hero  (he'ro) 
hurt  (hurt) 

join  (join) 
joined  (joind) 
just  (just) 

kettle  (kef'l) 
kindly  (kind'K) 
knew  (nu) 

last  (last) 
laughing  (laf '  ing) 
learn  (lurn) 


learned  (lurnd) 
length  (length) 
lighted  (Ht'gd) 
looking  (Idok'mg) 
losing  (looz'mg) 
lying  (li'ing) 

mere  (mer) 
mischief  (mis'chif ) 
Mono  (mo'no) 

naught  (not) 
neither  (ne'ther) 
nothing  (nuth'ing) 

off  (of) 
offer  (of'er) 
officers  (of'i  serz) 
often  (of'n) 
once  (wuns) 
only  (on'li) 
other  (uth'er) 
our  (our) 

pass  (pas) 
past  (past) 
path  (path) 
pearl  (purl) 
perhaps  (perhaps') 
person  (pur'sun) 
point  (point) 


377 


rather  (rath'er) 
rivers  (riv'erz) 

sauce  (s6s) 
saw  (so) 
search  (surch) 
served  (survd) 
singing  (singling) 
sir  (stir) 

sliding  (slid'mg) 
smiling  (smil'ing) 
snout  (snout) 
soar  (sor) 
soft  (soft) 
softly  (soft'li) 
something  (sum'thmg) 
song  (song) 
squirrels  (skwur'elz) 
staff  (staf) 

stockings  (stok'mgz) 
strewed  (strood) 
strong  (strong) 
sword  (sord) 

tempo  (tein'po) 
things  (thingz) 
thought  (thot) 


thrones  (thronz) 
toward  (tord) 
towards  (tordz) 
true  (troo) 
turned  (ttirnd) 
twenty  (twen'ti) 

Ula  (u'la) 
voice  (vois) 

whole  (hoi) 
widow  (wid'o) 
willow  (wiVo) 
window  (win'do) 
word  (wurd) 
world  (wurld) 
worst  (wurst) 
worth  (wurth) 
worthy  (wurtb'i) 
wounded  (woond'ed) 
writing  (rit'ing) 

yellow  (yel'o) 
yesterday  (yes'ter  da) 
young  (yung) 


M; 


378 


REVIEW  SPELLING 

SECOND   YEAR  — FIRST  HALF 

(To  be  used  by  the  children) 

COMMON  AND  USEFUL  WORDS 


bubbles 

once 

monkey 

from 

pipe 

with 

good 

kittens 

soap 

eye 

of 

mittens 

and 

was 

go 

what 

the 

him 

father 

who 

to 

garden 

happy 

for 

miller 

flower 

home 

this 

baker 

were 

very 

both 

rolls 

she 

grass 

fox 

his 

as 

star 

too 

in 

plant 

been 

pocket 

it 

over 

dew 

after 

boy 

said 

horses 

work 

cents 

your 

cows 

many 

you 

pretty 

have 

camel 

little 

girls 

has 

want 

mother 

here 

there 

tent 

her 

us 

where 

put 

one 

on 

baby 

cabbage 

are 

donkey 

love 

other 

379 

leaf  any  shall                  build 

dog  stone  could                  buy 

two  does  fast                     off 

birds  if  sir                      new 

barn  busy  broom                down 

ever  food  these                  up 

much  ants  door                   stairs 

such  when  clouds                town 

is  turnips  motor                 downstairs 

house  bear  knee                  downtown 

blue  must  Mary                  upstairs 

nor  only  goes                   uptown 

PHONETIC  WORDS 

(Not  all  phonetic  words  are  given,  but  some  of  each  group  learned) 

fill  way                         bin                     make 

sill  gray                        thin                     wake 

bill  he                       spin                      cake 

pill  me                      peep                      lake 

blow  the                       deep                    snake 

tow  she                      sheep                        not 

flow  why                        wee                        dot 

show  by                         see                         lot 

man  spy                        tree                        got 

van  fly                        feet                       trot 

ran  try                      meet                       nde 

bran  sky                       beet                       tide 

day  in                      sleet                      hide 

hay  pin                    sweet                    wide 


380 


pride 
slide 

far 
bar 
car 
look 
book 
cook 
hook 

cow 

now 

long 

sits 
pits 
nest 
west 
chest 

fun 
sun 
gun 
run 
that 
sat 
bat 
rat 
drop 
top 
hop 
chop 
gem 
hem 
them 
stem 
pick 
sick 
lick 
thick 
stick 

cold 
fold 
gold 
hold 
bold 

good 
wood 
stood 

Pig 
fig 
big 
dig 
get 
set 
wet 
yet 
town 
down 
brown 

bell 
tell 
well 
shell 
spell 

fore 
sore 
more 
wore 
store 
back 
pack 
tack 
black 
quack 

cut 
but 
nut 
fox 
box 
am 
ham 
jam 
ram 
swam 
clam 
"had 
sad 
glad 
night 
right 
light 
green 
seen 
screen 

cock 
rock 
lock 
block 
clock 

iind 
mind 
kind 
wind 
blind 
grind 
song 

wild 
mild 
child 
land 
sand 
stand 

then 
men 
hen 
when 
how 

381 


sea 
tea 
flea 


country 

grapes 

lambs 

fruit 

saw 

oh 

fingers 

thunder 

sharp 

rain 

corn 

warm 

our 

fourth 

which 

every 

April 

June 

four 

Sunday 

Monday 

Friday 


hare 

share 

lays 

pare 

ways 

plays 

care 

days 

stays 

SECOND  YEAE  —  SECOND  HALF 

COMMON  AND 

USEFUL  WORDS 

died 

long 

thing 

ill 

people 

heard 

Wednesday 

shadow 

voice 

Thursday 

crowd 

echo 

Saturday 

burst 

ugly 

Tuesday 

water 

ho 

some 

asked 

brother 

second 

they 

sister 

minute 

into 

watch 

twelve 

grandmother 

while 

month 

caught 

their 

seven 

rabbit 

swallow 

hour 

before 

summer 

says 

wrong 

again 

age 

first 

away 

clothes 

foot 

done 

dressed 

George 

come 

company 

forest 

cheese 

wicked 

answer 

mouse 

always 

polite 

frogs 

aunt 

silly 

toads 

rude 

began 

bread 

382 


city 

yellow 

stop 

soup 

chased 

orange 

harm 

coffee 

built 

violet 

out 

butter 

drive 

fairy 

listen 

sailor 

about 

hung 

stole 

write 

wolf 

never 

cruel 

salt 

help 

span 

eggs 

read 

hard 

bow 

plum 

wish 

drum 

sun 

wool 

nurse 

upon 

children 

none 

next 

so 

supper 

know 

dozen 

crooked 

woman 

feel 

yard 

teach 

child 

knew 

pond 

learn 

peach 

grandson 

swim 

left 

river 

corner 

milk 

walk 

tried 

table 

tallow 

crab 

wash 

angry 

above 

rainbow 

sang 

doing 

held 

chase 

also 

'stove 

used 

turn 

another 

cloth 

lamp 

each 

sport 

bowl 

room 

low 

great 

eyes 

gas 

key 

PHONETIC  WOEDS 

(Not  all  phonetic  words  are  given,  but  some  of  each  group  learned) 

field  yield  red  mast 

wield  bed  sled  past 


shield 


bed 
fed 


red 
sled 
fast 


last 


383 


sheet 
fleet 
greet 
street 

pound 
ground 
trap 
nap 
cap 
strap 
rose 
nose 
hose 
close 

slice 

slit 
laid 
maid 
paid 
braid 

son 
ton 
won 

year 
near 
dear 
clear 

went 
bent 
tent 
spent 

speak 
beak 
leak 
weak 

end 
mend 
bend 
spend 

at 
hat 
rat 
flat 
made 
wade 
shade 
line 
mine 
shine 

place 
face 
race 
lace 
space 
ship 
tip 
dip 
whip 
slip 

same 
name 
game 
frame 

nioon 
noon 
soon 
spoon 
time 
dime 
lime 
chime 

bleat 
heat 
neat 
wheat 

for 
nor 
or 
to 
do 
who 

rain 
pain 
chain 
train 
plain 

hung 
lung 
rung 
stung 
wrung 
head 
dead 
read 
lead 
tread 
bread 

week 
seek 
leek 
cheek 

think 
sink 
pink 
drink 

clean 
mean 
bean 
lean 

flower 
power 
shower 

ice 
mice 
rice 

it 
bit 
hit 

round 
sound 

384 

THIRD  YEAR  — FIEST  HALF 
COMMON  AND  USEFUL  WORDS 


Indian 

silk 

neck 

family 

pillow 

gardener 

rooster 

cousin 

beyond 

teacher 

parrot 

vote 

playthings 

school 

comb 

breakfast 

pleasant 

ladder 

roof 

yourself 

alive 

climb 

between 

winter 

trunk 

half 

friend 

furrow 

animals 

eleven 

turtle 

soldier 

afraid 

number 

mouth 

palace 

world 

wise 

visit 

ladies 

earth 

last 

until 

queen 

lion 

bridge 

daughter 

cloak 

surprise 

market 

drowned 

suit 

behind 

cried 

cattle 

fairies 

along 

story 

blood 

please 

kept 

cradle 

Moses 

funny 

tired 

really 

army 

shelf 

quiet 

swept 

potatoes 

Lincoln 

chipmunk 

early 

pepper 

stream 

because 

safe 

penny 

wagon 

babies 

deer 

dukes 

March 

brave 

sure 

pumpkin 

boots 

bank 

gander 

nothing 

oxen 

wife 

goose 

turkey 

snowflake 

vinegar 

geese 

ginger 

puddles 

mutton 

front 

widow 

laugh 

knock 

mile 

yesterday 

oven 

385 


Christmas 

silver 

acorns 

birthday 

mantel 

golden 

prancing 

present 

some 

honest 

perhaps 

doctor 

princess 

steel 

banners 

sleeve 

jewels 

squirrels 

waving 

stripes 

bottom 

evening 

swords 

broad 

plate 

wigwam 

powder 

bombs 

farewell 

candle 

smoke 

whose 

straight 

lilies 

flags 

rainbow 

PHONETIC  WOKDS 


dawns 
all 
morning 
"Tie" 
eye 

head 
red 

great 
laid 

pulled 
could 
took 

bird 
hurt 
her 

taste 

pay 

shoe 
poor 
true 
sure 
who 

daughter 
water 
dreams 
seems 

was 
of 

young 
duck 

roaring 
follow 

through 
proof 

know 
go 

bees 
people 
weary 

tongue 
dusted 
loved 

tomorrow 
only 
goat 
roar 

pretty 
brim 
"find 
sky 

many 
beds 

basket 
path 

believe 
feast 

threw 
soon 

minute 
little 
happy 

thought 
short 

airing 
wear 
fellow 
sew 

reindeer 
saying 

flying 
cried 
wild 

tease 
sleep 

choose 
truly 

386 


THIKD  YEAR  — SECOND  HALF 


COMMON  AND  USEFUL  WORDS 


parents 

beside 

master 

London 

return 

cities 

frozen 

money 

thousand 

plain 

score 

axes 

spoonful 

giant 

husband 

easy 

hundred 

fifth 

toward 

question 

honey 

sixth 

signal 

grace 

carried 

quarrel 

wonder 

pious 

clever 

peace 

thorn 

rule 

royal 

color 

village 

branches 

pound 

else 

forfeit 

unhappy 

crush 

message 

proud 

needles 

rafts 

kingdom 

loads 

glitter 

smooth 

close 

island 

leaves 

church 

quite 

gentle 

lucky 

hoofs 

slave 

blossoms 

fresh 

candy 

wedge 

autumn 

bare 

coal 

court 

spring 

fountain 

iron 

crown 

ridges 

arbors 

shooting 

trouble 

break 

circle 

stable 

throat 

high 

dwarf 

coach 

hunters 

sparrow 

scents 

lawn 

hounds 

feathers 

wand 

kissing 

crane 

magpie 

favorite 

chorus 

ought 

layer 

Mildred 

counterpane 

crept 

sheriff 

circus 

planted 

hole 

thieves 

reason 

387 


Edith 

bargain 

spurs 

staff 

ruby 

bunches 

daffodils 

brass 

shepherd 

peddler 

beauty 

armor 

icicles 

poured 

right 

ewes 

staring 

banana 

snail 

goodness 

greasy 

image 

creature 

surely 

stranger 

body 

saucepan 

dwell 

business 

truthful 

sneezing 

oil 

already 

quietly 

kitchen 

nostrils 

comfort 

forgive 

nursing 

traveler 

sorrow 

eagle 

manners 

coughed 

tailor 

steamers 

croquet 

buzzed 

girdle 

castles 

hurried 

arrows 

death 

guest 

hearth 

tracks 

obey 

few 

sodden 

shoot 

idle 

alphabet 

without 

aimed 

beautiful 

chimney 

thread 

flesh 

squirrels 

basins 

dimples 

cord 

poppies 

border 

thumb 

wasp 

trumpet 

machine 

teeth 

deer 

chickens 

skylark 

forehead 

nineteen 

himself 

sighing 

battle 

fifteen 

verses 

promise 

shield 

sandals 

weary 

suppose 

helmet 

temple 

breathe 

meadow 

pasture 

pledge 

western 

breath 

valley 

grove 

breast 

broken 

seized 

stone 

dying 

hedge 

tender 

heart 

herself 

claws 

ruddy 

inch 

388 


pair 

huge 

power 

saddle 

welcome 

maidens 

robes 

excuse 

wrapped 

streets 

witch 

proud 

mantle 

begged 

pale 

mount 

spider 

dashed 

fair 

buckles 

cliffs 

foamed 

rich 

picture 

bronze 

poison 

Washington 

velvet 

bathed 

throne 

president 

wrist 

deeds 

noble 

carriage 

shirt 

club 

dizzy 

George 

sofa 

across 

pearls 

third 

farmer 

miller 


PHONETIC   SPELLING 

(Words  having  equivalent  sounds) 


spear 

beast 

elephant 

rough 

prisoner 

emperor 


pieces 

queer 

"foul 

owl 

merchant 
journey 


merry 

sunny 

mountain 

captain 


389 


SPELLING 


FOUKTH   YEAR 


(To  be  used  by  the  children) 


The  number  in  front  of  the  words  corresponds  to  the 
number  of  the  last  page  of  the  selection  from  which  the 
spelling  words  have  been  taken. 

Use  and  write  these  words  in  sentences. 


5.  servants 
thimble 
closely 
enough 
suffer 
pencil 

12.  cowards 
centipede 
coral 
goblet 
rebound 
lanterns 

14.  pine  tree 
rice  shop 
indoors 
plenty 
bamboo 
sulk 

18.  whistles 
shelves 


vessels 
narrow 
kindly 
dough 

22.  conquer 
quickly 
danger 
weapons 
statue 
except 

27.  council 
covered 
hungry 
hidden 
agreed 
squaw 

29.  millions 
brethren 
wrangle 
indeed 


exceed 

flame 
35.  anything 

stuffed 

barley 

tasted 

sauce 

broth 
41.  dealer 

trinket 

greedy 

property 

value 

worth 
46.  Chinese 

orchard 

bushels 

yonder 

better 

glory 


390 


53.  basketful 

customer 

commenced 

currants 

noticed 

136.  petticoats 

bayonets 

107.  mischief 

gentleman 

sewing 

necklace 

December 

shocked 

diamonds 

shilling 

squeaked 

chariot 

pudding 

56.  scattered 

copper 

parasol 

remember 

shrub 

postman 

moment 

apron 

whisper 

pillar 

surf 

engines 

board 

109.  showers 

however 

tying 

smiling 

check 

60.  mattresses 

July 

sizes 

something 

111.  gliding 

144.  harnessed 

bedstead 

sliding 

handsome 

bedchamber 

skaters 

curtains 

unless 

113.  stocking 

goddess 

quilts 

handful 

cinder 

62.  bridegroom 

dropped 

globe 

cleaned 

pinned 

boast 

wedding 

empty 

oath 

merry 

125.  hollow 

149.  breathed 

72.  happily 

buried 

furnace 

anchors 

guessed 

flannel 

clovers 

disappointed 

miners 

cellar 

borrowed 

safety 

rudder 

package 

shaft 

wharf 

tobacco 

153.  northern 

73.  newspapers 

parlor 

musket 

countryman 

hurrah 

voyage 

391 


naval 

comrade 

angrily 

167.  shoulders 

signed 

quails 

whiskers 

attack 

price 

curious 

pardon 

225.  vegetables 

stupid 

guard 

opening 

tunnel 

202.  Benjamin 

prove 

center 

sixteen 

enter 

dozing 

button 

228.  started 

shrink 

invent 

stroll 

label 

wooden 

remain 

181.  thirteen 

toil 

rushed 

railway 

207.  guilty 

judge 

gallons 

harbor 

worst 

capital 

memory 

238.  Richard 

history 

plunge 

divided 

English 

course 

visitor 

French 

soar 

leader 

puzzle 

210.  grindstone 

heavy 

lesson 

myself 

honor 

Paris 

almost 

243.  scratched 

Rome 

truant 

seventy 

Nile 

kettle 

growled 

192.  blacksmith 

rascal 

wolves 

horseback 

217.  shoemaker 

birch 

victory 

coachman 

torch 

village 

leather 

251.  festival 

forge 

errand 

invited 

197.  regiment 

wager 

uniform 

telegram 

vexed 

figures 

Vermont 

221.  nearest 

brains 

392 


flea 

tower 

334.  cushion 

envy 

soil 

weight 

254.  amused 

290.  handkerchiefs 

scales 

clumsy 

pocket-books 

dragon 

whale 

parade 

beard 

ached 

thief 

ocean 

259.  backward 

296.  rhinoceros 

waist 

brook 

porcupine 

hero 

bushy 

crocodile 

349.  polished 

goal 

wrinkles 

drawing 

266.  antlers 

holiday 

ankles 

melted 

quills 

happen 

chief 

jungles 

knives 

since 

pupils 

knife 

277.  wisdom 

304.  perform 

tusks 

listen 

couple 

fawn 

altar 

punish 

359.  pebbles 

flood 

settle 

artist 

guide 

defend 

wading 

odor 

group 

simple 

282.  kindness 

nerve 

brush 

locusts 

arena 

idol 

twenty 

316.  toothache 

364.  painted 

choice 

headache 

weather 

chisel 

roasted 

absent 

hammer 

stewed 

graves 

David 

purple 

pouch 

cedar 

cotton 

palms 

286.  families 

uncles 

crowded 

shawl 

YC  49891 


541279 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


